RESOLUTION A.1004(25)

Adopted on 29 November 2007

 

ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA, 1972

 

 

THE ASSEMBLY,

 

RECALLING article VI of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (hereinafter referred to as the Convention ), on amendments to the Regulations,

 

HAVING CONSIDERED the amendments to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee at its eighty-second session, and communicated to all Contracting Parties in accordance with paragraph 2, article VI of the Convention; and also the recommendations of the Maritime Safety Committee concerning the entry into force of these amendments,

 

1.         ADOPTS, in accordance with paragraph 3, article VI of the Convention, the amendments set out in the annex to the present resolution;

 

2.         DECIDES, in accordance with paragraph 4, article VI of the Convention, that the amendments shall enter into force on 1 December 2009, unless by 1 June 2008 more than one third of Contracting Parties to the Convention have notified their objection to the amendments;

 

3.         REQUESTS the Secretary-General, in conformity with paragraph 3, article VI of the Convention, to communicate these amendments to all Contracting Parties to the Convention for acceptance;

 

4.         INVITES Contracting Parties to the Convention to submit any objections they may have to the amendments not later than 1 June 2008, whereafter the amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted for entry into force as determined in the present resolution, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 4 of article VI of the Convention.

 

ANNEX

 

AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS FOR PREVENTING

COLLISIONS AT SEA, 1972, AS AMENDED

 

 

Annex IV

 

Distress signals

 

1          The following signals, used or exhibited either together or separately, indicate distress and need of assistance:

 

(a)                a gun or other explosive signals fired at intervals of about a minute;

 

(b)               a continuous sounding with any fog-signalling apparatus;

 

(c)                rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals;

 

(d)               a signal made by any signalling method consisting of the group ... --- ... (SOS) in the Morse Code;

 

(e)                a signal sent by radiotelephony consisting of the spoken word MAYDAY ;

 

(f)                 the International Code Signal of distress indicated by N.C.;

 

(g)                a signal consisting of a square flag having above or below it a ball or anything resembling a ball;

 

(h)                flames on the vessel (as from a burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.);

 

(i)                  a rocket parachute flare or a hand-flare showing a red light;

 

(j)                 a smoke signal giving off orange-coloured smoke;

 

(k)               slowly and repeatedly raising and lowering arms outstretched to each side;

 

(l)                  a distress alert by means of digital selective calling (DSC) transmitted on:

 

(i)                  VHF channel 70, or

 

(ii)                MF/HF on the frequencies 2187.5 kHz, 8414.5 kHz, 4207.5 kHz, 6312 kHz, 12577 kHz or 16804.5 kHz;

 

(m)              a ship-to-shore distress alert transmitted by the ship s Inmarsat or other mobile satellite service provider ship earth station;

 

(n)                signals transmitted by emergency position-indicating radio beacons;

 

(o)               approved signals transmitted by radiocommunications systems, including survival craft radar transponders.

 

2          The use or exhibition of any of the foregoing signals, except for the purpose of indicating distress and need of assistance and the use of other signals which may be confused with any of the above signals, is prohibited.