NOTING that, at its ninety-first session, it adopted, by resolution MSC.338(91), amendments to chapter III of the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974 (hereinafter referred
to as "the Convention"), in the form of new regulation III/17-1, requiring
all ships engaged on international voyages to have plans and procedures
for the recovery of persons from the water,
NOTING ALSO that, in emergency situations of distress, ships
responding to a distress call involving recovery of persons from the
water may not necessarily be engaged on international voyages and
may be those to which chapter III of
the Convention does not apply,
1 AGREES that it is beneficial that, in an emergency
situation where operations for the recovery of persons from the water
are required, ships to which chapter III of
the Convention does not apply nevertheless have plans and procedures
for the recovery of persons from the water;
2 INVITES SOLAS Contracting Governments to determine
to what extent the requirements of regulation III/17-1 of the Convention
should apply to the following categories of ships:
-
1 cargo ships of a gross tonnage below 500 engaged
on any voyage;
-
2 cargo ships of a gross tonnage of 500 and above
not engaged on international voyages;
-
3 passenger ships not engaged on international
voyages;
-
4 fishing vessels;
-
5 high-speed craft under the 1994 and 2000 HSC Codes;
-
6 dynamically supported craft under the DSC Code;
-
7 special purpose ships under the SPS
Code and the 2008 SPS Code; and
-
8 mobile offshore drilling units under the 1979, 1989 and 2009 MODU Codes.