RECALLING Article 15(j) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Assembly in
relation to regulations and guidelines concerning maritime safety,
RECALLING ALSO Regulations IV/8.3 and 14.1 of the 1988 amendments to the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, concerning
radiocommunications for the global maritime distress and safety system
(GMDSS), which, respectively, permit ships engaged on voyages exclusively
in sea area A1 to be provided with a float-free VHF emergency position-indicating
radio beacon (EPIRB) and that such EPIRBs shall conform to appropriate
performance standards not inferior to those adopted by the Organization,
RECOGNIZING the need to prepare performance standards for
float-free VHF EPIRBs to be used in the GMDSS in order to ensure the
operational reliability of such equipment and to avoid, as far as
practicable, adverse interaction between such equipment and other
communication and navigation equipment on board ship,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Maritime
Safety Committee at its sixty-fifth session,
1. ADOPTS the Recommendation on Performance Standards
for Float-Free VHF Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons set
out in the annex to the present resolution;
2. RECOMMENDS Governments to ensure that VHF EPIRBs
which will form part of the GMDSS:
-
(a) if installed on or after 23 November 1996,
conform to performance standards not inferior to those specified in
the annex to the present resolution;
-
(b) if installed before 23 November 1996, conform
to performance standards not inferior to those specified in the annex
to Resolution A.612(15);
3. REQUESTS the Maritime Safety Committee to keep
these Performance Standards under review and to adopt amendments thereto,
as necessary.