Resolution
A.999(25)
GUIDELINES ON VOYAGE PLANNING FOR PASSENGER SHIPS OPERATING IN REMOTE AREAS
(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 and the prevention and control of marine
pollution from ships,
RECALLING
ALSO regulation 6 of Chapter V of the International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as amended, on the Ice patrol service, including
the Appendix to chapter V on Rules for the management, operation and financing
of the North Atlantic Ice Patrol,
RECALLING
FURTHER resolution A.893(21) on Guidelines for voyage planning,
NOTING
that the Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-third session, agreed to
enhance the safety of passenger ships from a holistic perspective, including
consideration of concerns related to operations in remote areas,
NOTING
ALSO that the Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-sixth session and the
Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its forty-eighth session approved
Guidelines for ships operating in Arctic ice-covered waters, and issued as
MSC/Circ.l056-MEPC/Circ.399,
RECOGNIZING
the need to develop guidelines which supplement resolution A.893(21)
particularly for passenger ships operating in remote areas in order to prevent
incidents of groundings and collision, and improve safety of life in general,
HAVING
CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Maritime Safety Committee at its
eighty-first session:
1.
ADOPTS the Guidelines on voyage planning for passenger ships in remote areas
set out in the Annex to the present resolution;
2.
INVITES Governments to bring the annexed Guidelines to the attention of masters
of vessels flying their countries' flag, shipowners, ship operators, shipping
companies, maritime pilots, training institutions, tour operators, ice patrol
and ice breaking services and all other parties concerned, for information and
action as appropriate; and
3.
REQUESTS the Maritime Safety Committee to keep the said Guidelines under review
and to amend them as appropriate.
ANNEX
GUIDELINES ON VOYAGE PLANNING FOR PASSENGER SHIPS
OPERATING IN REMOTE AREAS
1.1
The growing popularity of ocean travel for passengers and the desire for exotic
destinations, has led to increasing numbers of passenger ships operating in
remote areas. When developing a plan for voyages to remote areas, special
consideration should be given to the environmental nature of the area of
operation, limited resources, and navigational information.
1.2
Passenger ships operating in remote Arctic ice-covered waters should also refer
to MSC/Circ.1056 (MEPC/Circ.399) for recommended construction provisions,
equipment recommendations, and operational guidelines.
1.3
Guidance on voyage planning is given in resolution A.893(21). In addition to
the guidance in resolution A.893(21), passenger ships operating in remote areas
should include the following additional factors in their voyage planning.
2.1
The detailed voyage and passage plan should include the following factors:
.1 the source,
age, and the quality of the hydrographic data on which the charts to be used
are based;
.2 limitations
of available maritime safety information (MSI) data and Search and Rescue
resources;
.3 availability
or lack of aids to navigation; and
.4 places of
refuge.
2.2
In addition, the detailed voyage and passage plan for ships operating in Arctic
or Antarctic waters should include the following factors:
.1 knowledge of
ice and ice formations, in order to be able to navigate in it, and how
environmental conditions such as current, wind, calm weather, fog and different
seasons affect the ice and navigation in ice;
.2 current
information on the extent and type of ice and icebergs in the vicinity of the
intended route;
.3 statistical
information on ice from former years;
.4 operational
limitations for operating in ice-covered waters; and
.5 availability
and use of ice navigators.
3.1
The detailed voyage and passage plan should include the following factors:
.1 safe areas
and no-go areas;
.2 surveyed
marine corridors, if available; and
.3 contingency
plans for emergencies in view of limited support available for assistance in
areas remote from SAR facilities.
3.2
In addition, the detailed voyage and passage plan for ships operating in Arctic
or Antarctic waters should include the following factors:
.1 conditions
when it is not safe to enter areas with ice or icebergs because of darkness,
swell, fog and pressure ice;
.2 safe distance
to icebergs; and
.3 presence of
ice and icebergs, and safe speed in such areas.
4.1
The detailed voyage and passage plan should include reporting changes to a previously
advised voyage and passage plan, to the