RECALLING Article 28(b) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Committee,
RECALLING ALSO resolution A.886(21), by which the Assembly
resolved that the function of adopting performance standards and technical
specifications, as well as amendments thereto, shall be performed
by the Maritime Safety Committee on behalf of the Organization,
RECALLING FURTHER regulations IV/10.1 and 14.1 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS),
1974, as amended, concerning radiocommunications for the Global Maritime
Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), which require, respectively, that
ships remaining in sea area A3 be provided with an Inmarsat ship earth
station and that such ship earth stations shall conform to appropriate
performance standards not inferior to those adopted by the Organization,
FURTHER RECALLING resolution A.888(21) by which the Assembly
adopted the criteria and requirements for mobile-satellite communication
systems being designed for use in the GMDSS after 1 February 1999
and, in particular, the requirements for new systems to provide prioritised
pre-emption,
NOTING the transition of Inmarsat to a national law company
and the consequential re-structuring of the International Mobile Satellite
Organization (IMSO) to oversee certain public interests in the company's
operations, including the continued provision of satellite services
for the GMDSS,
RECOGNIZING the need to prepare performance standards for
Inmarsat satellite communication equipment designed in accordance
with resolution A.888(21) in order to ensure the operational reliability
of such equipment and to avoid, as far as practicable, adverse interaction
between satellite communication equipment and other communication
and navigation equipment aboard the ship,
RECOGNIZING ALSO that Inmarsat discontinued type approval
of Inmarsat-A ship earth stations in 1991,
RECOGNIZING FURTHER that the international telex service
is being discontinued in an increasing number of countries,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Sub-Committee
on Radiocommunications and Search and Rescue at its sixth session,
1. ADOPTS the Recommendation on performance standards
for Inmarsat ship earth stations capable of two-way communications,
set out in the Annex to the present resolution;
2. NOTES that part A of the Inmarsat design and
installation guidelines is similar to the performance standards for
ship earth stations capable of two-way communications and to the general
requirements for shipborne radio equipment set out in resolution A.694(17);
3. RECOMMENDS Governments to ensure that every
Inmarsat ship earth station which forms part of the GMDSS:
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.1 if designed to operate in a system introduced
after 1 February 1999, complies with the relevant requirements of
resolution A.888(21) and conforms to performance standards not inferior
to those specified in the Annex to the present resolution;
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.2 if installed on or after 23 November 1996,
conforms to performance standards not inferior to those specified
in the Annex to resolution A.808(19);
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.3 if installed before 23 November 1996, conforms
to performance standards not inferior to those specified in the Annex
to resolution A.698(17), which are in accordance with part A of the
Inmarsat ship earth station design and installation guidelines;
4. INVITES IMSO to ensure that any amendments
to part A of the ship earth station design and installation guidelines
are agreed with the Organization prior to their adoption.