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 Regulation III/6.2.1 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 requires
that ships be provided with survival craft two-way VHF radiotelephone
apparatus and that such apparatus shall conform to appropriate performance
standards not inferior to those adopted by the Organization,
RECOGNIZING the need to prepare performance standards for
survival craft two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus 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 Survival Craft Portable Two-Way VHF Radiotelephone Apparatus and
the Recommendation on Performance Standards for Two-Way VHF Radiotelephone
Apparatus for Fixed Installation in Survival Craft set out in annexes
1 and 2, respectively, to the present resolution;
2. RECOMMENDS Governments to ensure that survival
craft two-way radiotelephone apparatus for use in search and rescue
operations which form part of the GMDSS:
-
(a) if installed on or after 23 November 1996,
conform to performance standards not inferior to those specified in
annexes 1 and 2 to the present resolution;
-
(b) if installed before 23 November 1996, conform
to performance standards not inferior to those specified in annexes
1 and 2 to Resolution A.762(18);
3. REQUESTS the Maritime Safety Committee to keep
these Performance Standards under review and to adopt amendments thereto,
as necessary.