Resolution MSC.242(83)

USE OF THE LONG-RANGE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING INFORMATION FOR MARITIME SAFETY AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION PURPOSES

(adopted on 12 October 2007)

THE MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE,

RECALLING Article 28(b) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Committee,

RECALLING ALSO the provisions of regulation V/19-1 (the regulation) of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (the Convention) on the Long-range identification and tracking (LRIT) of ships and, in particular, that, as from 31 December 2008, ships shall transmit and Contracting Governments to the Convention (Contracting Governments) shall be able to receive, pursuant to the provisions of the regulation, LRIT information transmitted by ships,

RECALLING FURTHER that, at its seventy-ninth session, it had agreed that the purpose and scope of long-range identification and tracking should be extended to include safety and environmental protection applications,

ALSO RECALLING that regulation V/19-1.8.1 states that, subject to the provisions of regulations V/19-1.8.2 to V/19-1.11.2, Contracting Governments shall be able to receive LRIT information about ships, for security and other purposes as agreed by the Organization,

NOTING that the use of LRIT information for safety and marine environment protection purposes would provide significant added value through an improvement of the knowledge of ships positions and identity,

BEARING IN MIND that the conditions for the entry into force of regulation V/19-1 have been met and the regulation will enter into force on 1 January 2008,

HAVING CONSIDERED, at its eighty-third session, a proposal to allow the use of LRIT information for safety and marine environment protection purposes stating that the LRIT information specified in regulation V/19-1.5 was adequate in that respect and provided a significant added value for these objectives,