1 The master of a ship at sea which is in a position
to be able to provide assistance on receiving a signal from any source
that persons are in distress at sea, is bound to proceed with all
speed to their assistance, if possible informing them or the search
and rescue service that the ship is doing so. If the ship receiving
the distress alert is unable or, in the special circumstances of the
case, considers it unreasonable or unnecessary to proceed to their
assistance, the master must enter in the log-book the reason for failing
to proceed to the assistance of the persons in distress, taking into
account the recommendation of the Organization, to inform the appropriate
search and rescue service accordingly.
2 The master of a ship in distress or the search
and rescue service concerned, after consultation, so far as may be
possible, with the masters of ships which answer the distress alert,
has the right to requisition one or more of those ships as the master
of the ship in distress or the search and rescue service considers
best able to render assistance, and it shall be the duty of the master
or masters of the ship or ships requisitioned to comply with the requisition
by continuing to proceed with all speed to the assistance of persons
in distress.
3 Masters of ships shall be released from the
obligation imposed by paragraph 1 on learning that their ships have
not been requisitioned and that one or more other ships have been
requisitioned and are complying with the requisition. This decision
shall, if possible be communicated to the other requisitioned ships
and to the search and rescue service.
4 The master of a ship shall be released from
the obligation imposed by paragraph 1 and, if his ship has been requisitioned,
from the obligation imposed by paragraph 2 on being informed by the
persons in distress or by the search and rescue service or by the
master of another ship which has reached such persons that assistance
is no longer necessary.
5 The provisions of this regulation do not prejudice
the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law Relating
to Assistance and Salvage at Sea, signed at Brussels on 23 September
1910, particularly the obligation to render assistance imposed by
article 11 of that Convention.footnote