Resolution
A.961(23)
WIDER ACCEPTANCE OF THE PROTOCOL OF 1988 RELATING TO THE INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION ON LOAD LINES, 1966
(Adopted
on 5 December 2003)
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 on 5 April 1966 the International Conference on Load Lines adopted
the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 (hereinafter referred to as
the Convention ), which entered into force on 21 July 1968,
RECALLING
FURTHER that on 11 November 1988 the International Conference on the Harmonized
System of Survey and Certification adopted the Protocol of 1988 relating to the
International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 (hereinafter referred to as the
Protocol ), which entered into force on 3 February 2000,
NOTING
that the Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-seventh session, adopted
amendments to Annex B to the Protocol which, on condition that they are deemed
accepted on 1 July 2004 in accordance with paragraph 2(f)(ii)(bb) of article VI
thereof, will enter into force on 1 January 2005 in accordance with paragraph
2(g)(ii) of the same article,
NOTING
ALSO that the Committee, at its seventy-sixth session, acknowledged that the
amendments would not, upon entry into force, affect the Convention and
recognized that, as a consequence and on the basis of the Protocol s status at
MSC 76, the amendments would apply only to approximately 60% of the world s
merchant fleet, i.e. to those ships flying the flags of States Parties to the
Protocol,
NOTING
WITH CONCERN that such a situation might lead to an undesirable two-tier system
whereby ships would be subjected to different safety regimes, depending whether
the flag Administration is a Contracting Government to the Convention or a
Party to the Protocol as well,
BEING
CONVINCED that a single and universal regulatory regime relating to load lines
would contribute substantially to enhancing maritime safety globally,