Resolution A.1001(25)
CRITERIA FOR THE PROVISION OF MOBILE
SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS IN THE GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY
SYSTEM (GMDSS)
(Adopted on 29 November 2007)
THE
ASSEMBLY,
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 regulation IV/5 of the International Convention for the Safety of
Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as amended in 1988, requires each Contracting
Government to undertake to make available, either individually or in
co-operation with other Contracting Governments, as they may deem practical and
necessary, appropriate shore-based facilities for space and terrestrial
radiocommunication services, having due regard to the recommendations of the
Organization,
TAKING
INTO ACCOUNT resolution 322(Rev.Mob-87) of the World Administrative Radio
Conference, 1987, relating to coast stations and coast earth stations assuming
watchkeeping responsibilities on certain frequencies in connection with the
implementation of distress and safety communications for the Global Maritime
Distress and Safety System (GMDSS),
TAKING
INTO ACCOUNT ALSO resolution 3, "Recommendation on the early introduction
of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) elements",
adopted by the 1988 SOLAS Conference introducing the system,
NOTING
the Provision of radio services for the GMDSS (resolution A.801(19)), as
amended,
NOTING
ALSO that future mobile satellite communication systems might have the
potential to offer maritime distress and safety communications,
NOTING
FURTHER the decision of the Maritime Safety Committee, at its eighty-second
session, that the oversight of future satellite providers in the GMDSS should
be undertaken by the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO),
RECOGNIZING
that mobile satellite communication systems for use in the GMDSS should fulfil
performance criteria adopted by the Organization,
RECOGNIZING
ALSO the need for the Organization to have in place criteria against which the
capabilities and performance of mobile satellite communication systems for use
in the GMDSS may be verified and evaluated,
1.
ADOPTS the "Criteria for the provision of mobile satellite communication
systems in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)", set
out in the annex to the present resolution;
2.
INVITES Governments, when permitting ships entitled to fly the flag of their
State to carry maritime mobile satellite equipment for use in the GMDSS, to
require those ships to carry equipment which can utilize only those satellite
systems that have been recognized by IMO and conform to the performance
standards adopted by the Organization for use in the GMDSS, in accordance with
the criteria set out in sections 2 to 5 of the annex;
3.
REQUESTS the Maritime Safety Committee to:
(a) apply the
criteria set out in the annex to the present resolution, through the procedure
set out in section 2 of the annex, to evaluate satellite systems notified by
Governments for possible recognition for use in the GMDSS, within the context
of the relevant regulations of SOLAS chapter IV; and
(b) ensure that
mobile satellite communication systems recognized by the Organization for use
in the GMDSS are compatible with all appropriate SOLAS requirements, and also
that such recognition takes into account existing operational procedures and
equipment performance standards;
4.
REQUESTS ALSO the Maritime Safety Committee to keep this resolution under
review and take appropriate action as necessary to secure the long-term
integrity of the GMDSS;
5.
REVOKES resolution A.888(21) and MSC/Circ.1077.
Annex.
CRITERIA FOR THE PROVISION OF MOBILE SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS IN THE
GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY SYSTEM (GMDSS)
1.1
Mobile Satellite Communication System
The
mobile satellite communication system (satellite system) means the space
segment, the arrangements for controlling the space segment, the network control
facilities controlling the access to the space segment, the earth stations and
maritime mobile terminals operating in the system. The satellite system will
include, or interface with, the following elements:
.1 Earth station
– any fixed satellite communication station acting as a gateway between the
space segment and the terrestrial networks.
.2 Maritime
mobile terminal – any radiocommunication equipment working through a satellite
communication system recognized for use in the GMDSS on board a ship.
.3 Space segment
– satellites and the radiocommunication facilities they carry both for control
and to provide GMDSS services, including the forward and return communication
links with the earth.
.4 Terrestrial
networks – the communication networks providing land-based subscriber
communication facilities such as telephone, facsimile or data communications.
1.2
Mobile Satellite Communication Service means any service which operates through
a satellite system and is recognized by the Organization for use in the GMDSS.
1.3
Coverage area
The
Coverage Area of the satellite system is the geographical area within which the
satellite system provides an availability in accordance with the criteria
stated in section 3.5 in the ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship directions, and
within which continuous alerting is available.
1.4
Availability
The
availability of any mobile satellite communication system or service is defined
as the percentage of time in which the system or service as a whole is
available for access to and communications through the system, calculated
according to the following formula:
where:
Scheduled
operating time = 100% of the time period being reported on; and
Downtime = the
total time during the period for which the recognized GMDSS system or service
was not operationally available.
Note:
Definitions and calculations of availabilities of communications circuits in
the Maritime Mobile-Satellite Service are given in ITU-R M.828-1.
2. RECOGNITION OF MOBILE SATELLITE COMMUNICATION
SYSTEMS FOR USE IN THE GMDSS
2.1
The evaluation and recognition of satellite systems participating, or wishing
to participate in the GMDSS are undertaken by the Organization.
2.2
Application for Recognition
2.2.1
Satellite system providers wishing to participate in the GMDSS should apply to
the Organization, through a Member State, for recognition as a radio system
providing maritime distress and safety satellite communication capabilities for
use in the GMDSS. Such applications should be notified to the Organization by
Governments, either individually or in co-operation with other Governments. The
application will be reviewed by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in relation
to its policy for the expansion of satellite services in the GMDSS. If the MSC
decides that there are no objections in principle to the application, it will
forward the application to the COMSAR Sub-Committee for evaluation. Recognition
of the satellite provider to operate in the GMDSS will be undertaken by the
committee on the basis of the evaluation report.
2.2.2
The Governments concerned should make available to the Organization all
necessary information to enable it to evaluate the satellite system in relation
to the criteria indicated below.
In
particular, Governments proposing such satellite systems for possible
recognition and use in the GMDSS should provide evidence to show that:
.1 the satellite
system conforms with all the criteria specified in this annex;
.2 the charging
policies and provisions of resolution A.707(17), as amended, on Charges for
distress, urgency and safety messages through the Inmarsat system, are complied
with;
.3 there is a
well-founded confidence that the company concerned will remain viable for the
foreseeable future and will remain in a position to deliver the required
services over an extended period, in keeping with the expectations of the
Organization and the maritime industry as to the continuity, durability and
reliability of the service; and
.4 the provider
of the satellite system is ready to submit any recognized services to oversight
by IMSO and sign the required Public Services Agreement (PSA) with that
organization.
2.3
Verification and Evaluation
2.3.1
The COMSAR Sub-Committee should verify and evaluate the information, seeking
clarification as required direct from the service provider concerned, and
decide whether the satellite system meets the criteria established by this
resolution. In reaching its decision, the COMSAR Sub-Committee should take into
account the provisions of the relevant regulations of chapter IV of the 1974
SOLAS Convention, as amended and the criteria established by this resolution.
2.3.2
Recognition by the Organization should be recorded in an MSC resolution
entitled Statement of Recognition of Maritime Mobile Satellite Services
provided by [Company Name], detailing the specific services provided by the
company which have been recognized by the Organization. A copy of the statement
of recognition should be provided to IMSO.
2.3.3
If, following evaluation, the Organization is unable to recognize the company
or the service(s) offered for the GMDSS, the Organization should communicate
this decision to the company and IMSO in writing, setting out the reasons for
the decision and any actions the company may take to achieve recognition in the
future.
2.4
The Public Services Agreement
2.4.1
Recognized services are subject to oversight by IMSO according to the rules and
arrangements set out in the public services agreement (PSA) concluded between
the service provider and IMSO. No maritime satellite system should be used in
the GMDSS unless it has first been recognized by the Organization in accordance
with the above procedure and the service provider has signed a PSA with IMSO.
2.4.2
IMSO should conduct its oversight of the recognized services on a continuing
basis.
2.4.3
Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the standards established by this
annex, other relevant mandatory international instruments and, to the extent
necessary, those recommendations, resolutions and procedures of IMO and ITU
which are of a recommendatory nature insofar as they relate to the provision of
GMDSS services, rests with IMSO under the terms of the Public Services
Agreement.
2.5
Reports
At
least once a year, IMSO should make available to the Organization a report on
availability, performance and other relevant information in respect of each
recognized service, for the period since the preceding report, in accordance
with section 3.5.2 of the criteria indicated below.
3. CRITERIA AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RECOGNIZED MOBILE
SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
________________________
*
– Resolution A.801(19) "Provision of Radio Services for the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)", Annex 5 "Criteria for
use when providing Inmarsat shore-based facilities for use in the GMDSS";
– Resolution A.887(21)
"Establishment, Updating and Retrieval of the Information Contained in the
Registration Databases for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
(GMDSS)";
– Resolution A.694(17)
"General requirements for Shipborne Radio Equipment forming Part of the
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and for Electronic
Navigational Aids";
– IMO International SafetyNET
Manual;
– Resolution A.664(16)
"Performance Standards for Enhanced Group Call Equipment"; and –
Appropriate IEC Standards and ITU Recommendations.
Satellite
systems for maritime distress and safety communication services and forming
part of the GMDSS radio systems specified in chapter IV, regulation 5 of the
1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended, should provide capabilities for at least the
following maritime distress and safety communications:
.1 ship-to-shore
distress alerts/calls;
.2 shore-to-ship
distress relay alerts/calls;
.3
ship-to-shore, shore-to-ship and ship-to-ship search and rescue co-ordinating
communications;
.4 ship-to-shore
transmissions of Maritime Safety Information;
.5 shore-to-ship
broadcasting of Maritime Safety Information; and
.6
ship-to-shore, shore-to-ship, and ship-to-ship general communications.
The
satellite system should be designed to provide sufficient channel and power
capacity to process effectively, with the availability stated in section 3.5,
the maritime distress, urgency, safety and general communication traffic
estimated to be required by the ships using the system.
3.3.1
Satellite systems in the GMDSS should be capable of processing maritime
distress, urgency, safety and routine communications in accordance with the
message priority as defined by the ITU Radio Regulations. The order of
processing these communications should be:
.1 distress;
.2 urgency;
.3 safety; and
.4 routine
(general communications).
3.3.2
In implementing these four levels of priority:
.1 Distress
alerts and distress calls (level 1) should be given priority treatment by
providing immediate access to satellite channels. For store and forward
systems, distress alerts and calls should be placed ahead of all other traffic.
.2 Satellite
systems used for providing other mobile satellite communications in addition to
maritime communications should be capable of automatically recognizing requests
for maritime communications from:
– maritime
mobile terminals; and
– recognized
entities of critical importance for safety at sea, such as MRCCs, hydrographic
and meteorological offices, medical centres, etc., registered with the earth
station.
The system
should process such maritime communications in the ship-to-shore and
shore-to-ship directions for levels 1 to 3 with priority over other
communications.
.3 In processing
maritime distress, urgency, safety and routine communications, the satellite
system and the earth station should be capable of:
.1 automatically
recognizing the message or access priority for ship-to-shore communications;
.2 automatically
recognizing the message or access priority for shore-to-ship communications, if
any are provided, from, as a minimum, recognized entities of importance for
safety at sea, registered by the earth station;
.3 preserving
and transferring the priority;
.4 giving
distress alerts and distress calls immediate access, if necessary by
pre-empting ongoing communications of routine priority;
.5 automatically
recognizing maritime distress communications and automatically routeing
maritime distress alerts and distress calls directly to an associated MRCC, or
responsible RCC if this capability exists; and
.6 processing
maritime urgency and safety communications in the ship-to-shore and
shore-to-ship directions with the required priority, for example by allocating
the first vacant channel, if no channel is immediately available.
.4 Selection and
use of message or access priority for urgency and safety transmissions by
maritime mobile terminals should preferably be automatic and should be
restricted to calls to special, recognized entities such as medical centres,
maritime assistance, hydrographic and meteorological offices, etc., registered
with the earth station. The earth station should automatically route such calls
directly to the relevant entity.
3.4.1
The definition of the coverage area is given in section 1.3.
3.4.2
The coverage area is to be delineated on a map and also described in relation
to the sea areas defined in Chapter IV, regulation 2 of the SOLAS Convention.
Documentation on the coverage area of the satellite system, as defined in
section 1.3, should be forwarded to the Organization.
3.4.3
Information on coverage areas for satellite systems forming part of the GMDSS
should be published by the Organization in the GMDSS Master Plan.
3.5.1
The satellite system should provide continuous availability for maritime
distress and safety communications in the ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship
directions.
3.5.2
The availability of the space segment, provision of spare satellite capacity
and the network control function (i.e. the network availability), as defined in
section 1.4 above, should be monitored by IMSO, which should report on the
recorded availability of the system to the Organization at least once every
year.
3.5.3
Service providers should advise their associated RCCs and IMSO of planned
outages of recognized services and advise ships of scheduled downtime and known
interruptions in service, and supply any other relevant network information.
Service providers should also advise IMSO of unscheduled interruptions in any
recognized services, as soon after the commencement of the interruption as
possible, and when the recognized services have been restored.
3.5.4
Network availability. The complete mobile satellite communication network,
including earth stations for the recognized services, is expected to achieve at
least 99.9% availability (equivalent to a total of 8.8 hours down time per
year).
3.6
Restoration and spare satellites
3.6.1
Spare satellite capacity and arrangements prepared in advance should be
provided to ensure that, in the event of a partial or total satellite failure,
the recognized maritime distress and safety communication services in the area
concerned can be restored to their normal availability, not more than one hour
after the failure occurs.
3.6.2
Full information on the means and arrangements prepared for restoration of the
maritime distress and safety communication services in the event of a satellite
failure should be notified to IMSO. IMSO and the service provider should
conduct exercises from time to time to prove the efficiency and effectiveness
of these planned arrangements.
The
satellite system should be capable of automatically recognizing and preserving
the identification of maritime mobile earth stations.
3.8
Information to be made available to SAR authorities
For
all distress urgency and safety communications, the maritime mobile terminal
identification number or Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) should be an
integral part of the distress alert and be provided to the RCC with the alert.
When available, all additional registration, commissioning or other data
relevant to the search and rescue or prosecution of a false alert should be
referenced to this number and made available to the proper SAR authority or RCC
upon request.
3.9
Reception of distress alerts
The
satellite system should allow for addressing a maritime distress alert to a
specific MRCC chosen by the ship’s operator and covering the area concerned,
but should also provide for automatic routeing of manually initiated maritime
distress alerts. Means should be provided to allow the MRCC to easily identify
the system and specific mobile station from which an alert or other priority
message has been received, to enable the MRCC to establish shore-to-ship
communications with the ship concerned.
3.10
Control of maritime mobile terminals
Access
control arrangements for controlling and giving, or temporarily denying, access
by maritime mobile terminals to the system should at all times allow maritime
mobile terminals access for transmission of maritime distress alerts/calls and
distress messages.