AO Forum :: -> RESOLUTION- Maritime Safety Standards Act

AO Forum :: -> Atlantian Oceania -> Historical Archives -> UN Archives

RESOLUTION- Maritime Safety Standards Act

Posted on Mar 28 2006, 01:48 AM

Maritime Safety Standards Act

A resolution to reduce barriers to free trade and commerce.

Category: Free Trade

Strength: Mild

Proposed by: Cobdenia

Description: The United Nations,

DESIRING to reduce unnecessary loss of life on the seas,

BELIEVING that minimum safety standards and international harmonisation is required to prevent unnecessary deaths,

1. DEFINES 'distress', for the purposes of this document, as a situation that poses an imminent threat to the lives of the crew and passengers travelling on a vessel,

2. MANDATES that any master of a vessel within fifty nautical miles of a vessel known to be in distress assist the vessel in distress, except when another vessel that is able to assist is known to be closer to the incident, or when the master of a vessel believes that attending to the incident may endanger the safety of his own vessel or violate the neutrality of the ship in which the vessel is registered,

3. MANDATES that failure to provide assistance under the conditions of the previous clause shall be considered a dereliction of duty by the master of said vessel and that upon determination of the full facts of the matter, he shall be disciplined according to the rules of his home nation, with regards to stipulated offence,

4. FOUNDS the UN Standards Essential for All Watch Officers Responsible for Transportation, Harbourmasters, and Yachtsmen (UNSEAWORTHY),

5. MANDATES that all masters and officers of the watch of vessels over 4,000 long tons operating in international waters be certified by the nation in which the vessel aboard which they serve is registered; minimum standards for such certification to be established by the UNSEAWORTHY,

6. AUTHORISES the UNSEAWORTHY to produce information pertaining internationally recognised maritime distress signals that will encompass all possible scenario’s in which a ship may be in distress, and to ensure that the information be required in the minimum standards of certification as outlined in article 5, including but not limited to:
a) The spoken word MAYDAY, repeated where possible, transmitted via radiotelegraphic equipment;

Signalling SOS in Morse code by any method;

7. MANDATES that the location of newly sunken vessels that may pose a threat to shipping be made available to all relevant oceanic mapping institutes,

8. MANDATES that all ships over 4,000 long tons carry sufficient lifeboats for passengers and crew, and that all passenger vessels carry buoyancy aids for all passengers and crew to be issued in cases of emergency,

9. DESIGNATES that vessels over 4,000 long tons carry radiotelegraphic equipment or wireless communications devices,

10. MANDATES that the crew of passenger ships undergo training in overseeing the abandoning of ships in distress, and other emergency situations,

11. DEFINES a 'hospital ship' as a vessel designated to transport the wounded,

12. STRONGLY URGES that hospital ships during a time of war be painted a white livery, with highly visible appropriate internationally-recognised markings, large enough and of a colour to be clearly visible against the white livery, be displayed on both sides of the hull, on the funnels (if any), and on the forecastle and poop decks; details of such markings are to be produced by the UNSEAWORTHY and included in all masters and officer of the watch certification as outlined in 5..

13. FORBIDS the use of such markings on any ships other then hospital ships, and forbids hospital ships from carrying offensive weapons or munitions,

14. FORBIDS attacks on designated hospital ships, whose status as such has been made clear