RECALLING article VIII(c) of
the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (hereinafter
referred to as "the Convention"), concerning the procedure for amending
the Convention by a Conference of Contracting Governments,
NOTING resolution A.596(15), adopted by the Assembly of
the International Maritime Organization (IMO), concerning the safety
of ro-ro ships,
NOTING FURTHER resolutions MSC.11(55), MSC.12(56), MSC.24(60),
MSC.26(60) and MSC.27(61) by which amendments to the Convention were
adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of IMO aimed at enhancing
the safety of new and existing ro-ro passenger ships, as appropriate,
EXPRESSING ITS CONCERN that, since the adoption of the aforementioned
amendments, a number of ro-ro passenger ships have been involved in
casualties, one of which has resulted in severe loss of life,
RECOGNIZING the urgent need to further improve the safety
standards in all aspects of the design, equipment and operation of
ro-ro passenger ships to avoid recurrence of such casualties,
HAVING CONSIDERED amendments to the annex to the Convention
proposed and circulated to all Members of the International Maritime
Organization and all Contracting Governments to the Convention,
1. ADOPTS, in accordance with article VIII(c)(ii) of the Convention,
amendments to the annex to the Convention the text of which is set
out in the annex to the present resolution;
2. DETERMINES, in accordance with article VIII(b)(vi)(2)(bb) of the
Convention, that the amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted
on 1 January 1997, unless, prior to this date, more than one third
of Contracting Governments to the Convention or Contracting Governments
the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 50%
of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant fleet, have notified
their objections to the amendments;
3. INVITES Contracting Governments to note that,
in accordance with article VIII(b)(vii)(2) of the Convention, the amendments shall enter into force on
1 July 1997 upon their acceptance in accordance with paragraph 2 above.