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 that, by Resolution 12, the Conference of
Contracting Governments to the International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, being of the
opinion that it would be desirable that ships, in particular passenger
ships, are fitted with a voyage data recorder (VDR) to assist in investigations
into casualties, requested the Maritime Safety Committee, to develop,
as a matter of urgency, operational requirements and performance standards
for VDRs, taking into account any potential human element implications,
NOTING that consideration is being given to the development
of carriage requirements for VDRs for inclusion in the SOLAS Convention
at the earliest opportunity,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Maritime
Safety Committee at its sixty-eighth session,
1. ADOPTS the Recommendation on Performance Standards
for Shipborne Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) set out in the Annex to
the present resolution;
2. INVITES Governments to install, as soon as
possible, VDRs on ships flying their flag, especially considering
that the carriage of VDRs may soon be made mandatory under the SOLAS Convention;
3. RECOMMENDS Governments to ensure that VDRs
installed on board ships flying their flag conform to performance
standards not inferior to those specified in the Annex to this resolution;
4. REQUESTS the Maritime Safety Committee to keep
these Performance Standards under review and to adopt amendments thereto,
as necessary.