RECALLING Article 28(b) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Committee,
RECALLING ALSO the provisions of regulation V/19-1 of the International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (the Convention) on the Long-range
identification and tracking (LRIT) of ships and, in particular, that,
as from 31 December 2008, ships shall transmit and Contracting Governments
to the Convention (Contracting Governments) shall be able to receive,
pursuant to the provisions of the regulation
V/19-1, LRIT information transmitted by ships,
RECALLING FURTHER the Revised performance standards and
functional requirements on long-range identification and tracking
of ships (the Revised performance standards) adopted by resolution MSC.263(84) provide in section
10.1 that an International LRIT Data Exchange recognized by the Committee
should be established,
ALSO RECALLING the Arrangements for the timely establishment
of the LRIT system adopted by resolution
MSC.211(81) and, in particular, that the International LRIT
Data Centre and the International LRIT Data Exchange should commence
trials and testing of the LRIT system not later than 1 July 2008,
FURTHER RECALLING that, at its eighty-third session, it
accepted the contingency offer from the United States in relation
to the establishment and operation of the International LRIT Data
Exchange on an interim basis and until such time the Committee would
be able to make the necessary permanent arrangements and to this end
adopted resolution MSC.243(83) on
the Establishment of the International LRIT Data Exchange on an interim
basis,
RECALLING ALSO that in operative paragraph 3 of resolution MSC.243(83) it requested the
Secretariat to prepare, following any necessary consultations with
the United States, a draft resolution on the establishment of an International
LRIT Data Exchange on an interim basis, within the framework of regulation V/19-1.14, for consideration
and adoption by the Committee at its eighty-fourth session,
MINDFUL of the key and pivotal role of the International
LRIT Data Exchange in the LRIT system architecture,
DESIRING to put the necessary arrangements in place so as
to ensure that the LRIT system becomes fully operational, as planned,
on 31 December 2008,
HAVING CONSIDERED, at its eighty-fourth session, a report
on the progress made by the United States in relation to the establishment
and operation of the International LRIT Data Exchange on an interim
basis,
1. RECOGNIZES, pursuant to the provisions of regulation V/19-1.14 and paragraph
10.1 of the Revised performance standards, the aforesaid exchange
as the International LRIT Data Exchange referred to in the Revised
performance standards subject to the terms and conditions set out
in the Annex to the present resolution;
2. AGREES that, bearing in mind that the contingency
offer from the United States is only an interim arrangement and a
permanent solution should be found for the International LRIT Data
Exchange as soon as possible (within two years as from 1 January 2008
subject to a further review by the Committee), at its eighty-fifth
session, it would discuss with a view to finalizing the arrangements
for the establishment and operation of the International LRIT Data
Exchange on a permanent basis;