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 resolution 2 adopted by the International Conference on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979, which recommends that States should arrange that participation in ship reporting system shall be free of message cost to the ships concerned,

RECALLING FURTHER resolution 6 adopted by the 1988 Conference of Contracting Governments to SOLAS 1974 on the global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) which requests the Maritime Safety Committee to review funding arrangements prior to the implementation date of the GMDSS,

BEARING IN MIND that the existing terrestrial maritime radiocommunication services for distress, urgency and safety messages are free of charge to shipping,

NOTHING that INMARSAT accounts with its coast station operators for all communication other than the initial distress call and message,

NOTHING ALSO that the Joint IMO/INMARSAT Meeting on Funding for Maritime Distress and Safety Communications (4-7 December 1990) made further recommendations regarding the treatment of INMARSAT space segment charges as shown in the service/charging matrix set out in annex to the present resolution,

FURTHER NOTHING that the charges to ships and land subscribers for communication services provided via INMARSAT system are established by national telecommunication entries in conformity with national policies and practices,

RECOGNIZING the advantages of the INMARSAT service for distress, urgency and safety purposes,

RECOGNIZING FURTHER that funding arrangements remain to be agreed at national level for coast earth stations and landline charges related to the traffic covered by the recommendations of the Joint IMO/INMARSAT Meeting,

HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Maritime Safety Committee at its fifty-ninth session,

1. RECOMMENDS that States having coast earth stations under their jurisdiction arrange that the following transmissions through the IMNARSAT system shall be free of charge:

- ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship distress traffic;
- urgent ship-to-shore navigational and meteorological danger reports using record communications; and
- medical assistance for person in grave and imminent danger;

2. RECOMMENDS ALSO that States make every effort, consistent with domestic laws and policies, to arrange that meteorological reports, ship position reports and medical advice and assistance messages other than those referred to in paragraph 1, transmitted though the IMNARSAT system, shall be free of charge to shipping;

3. RECOMMENDS FURTHER that States should put suitable arrangements in place for the treatment of coast earth station and landline charges prior to the entry into force of the 1988 SOLAS amendments to introduce the GMDSS on 1 February 1992;

4. REVOKES resolution A.523(13).