INTERNATIONAL
MARITIME ORGANIZATION
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IMO
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NAV 44/3/1
24 April 1998
Original: ENGLISH
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SUB-COMMITTEE ON SAFETY OF
NAVIGATION
44th session
Agenda item 3
ROUTEING OF SHIPS, SHIP REPORTING AND
RELATED MATTERS
Ship reporting systems off the eastern
coast of the United States
Submitted by the United States
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SUMMARY
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| Executive
Summary: |
This document sets forth
a proposal for the
establishment of two
mandatory ship reporting
systems, one off
the northeastern
coast and one off the
southeastern coast
of the United States,
for consideration
and approval by the
Sub-Committee and
transmission to the
Maritime Safety Committee
for adoption.
The objective of
the reporting systems is
to reduce ship strikes
of endangered
large whales, particularly
the northern
right whale. |
| Action to be Taken: |
Paragraph 6 . |
| Related documents: |
NAV 44/INF,4; MEPC 40/INF.9; and MSC
69/INF.21. |
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1 Two areas are proposed for
the establishment of mandatory ship
reporting systems;
these areas are critically important
for endangered large
whale species, in particular the
most endangered of the
world's large whales, the northern
right whale. The area
off the southeastern United States
is the species' only
known calving grounds. The area off
the northeastern
United States is a principal feeding
areas for right
whales.
2 Although right whales are also found
outside
of these areas, the proposed areas
are where there is an
overlap of large numbers of whales
and a high volume of
ship traffic. Ship collisions are
the largest known
source of human-related mortality
of right whales.
3 As set forth in the proposal, the
United
States has taken steps to identify
and implement measures
to reduce the likelihood of such
collisions. These steps
include such things as the dissemination
of information
through a variety of means to mariners
regarding the
issue of ship strikes and right whales.
Several workshops
have been conducted with representatives
from the
shipping community, environmental
groups, whale
biologists, and government agencies
to examine relevant
Information and management options,
including research
and development issues, merchant
mariner education, and
ship operations management. Two of
these workshops
identified guidelines for measures
mariners may take to
avoid right whales, now being published
in the United
States Coast Pilots. Information
brochures and placards
have been distributed to mariners.
A combination of
periodic aerial and vessel surveys
are conducted
seasonally to attempt to locate right
whales so that this
information can be provided through
various
telecommunication networks to mariners
operating in the
vicinity of whales. These surveys
unfortunately locate
only a small percentage of the whales,
the information
from them remains valid only for
a short time
I:/NAV/44/3-1.WPD
For reasons of economy, this document is
printed in a limited number.
Delegates are kindly
asked to bring their copies
to meetings and not
to request additional copies.
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