MSC 70/11/11
12 At the request of MSC 69, the
Sub-Committee at its forty-fourth session in July 1998
started work on a new report on all aspects of safety and
environmental protection, including the review of the IMO
Rules and Recommendations on navigation in the Straits. It
approved in a preliminary way, as a basis for further
discussions, a structure of the report, the section on
mandatory ship reporting system and commenced discussion on
ships' routeing measures.
13 The Russian Federation remains in
full support of annexes 1 to 3 to amex 10 of NAV 43/15. When
the Working Group resumes consideration of this issue at MSC
70, all the specific proposals contained therein, should, in
the view of the Russian Federation, be discussed again, this
time with the full benefit of comments and eventual proposals
of the coastal State.
It will be especially important to
consider the following alternative routeing measures:
(a) cancellation of the existing TSSs in
the Straits and coming back to rule 9 of the COLREGs; or
(b) changes to IMO adopted TSS as
proposed by NAV 43 (establishment of precautionary areas
in parts of the TSSs in the Strait of Istanbul and the
Strait of Canakkale).
It is also of primary
importance that a VTS system will be established in the
Straits complying with the IMO standards, and any mandatory
reporting system should be in full compliance with the IMO
guidelines and criteria. Information on an intended passage
should not be submitted more than 24 hours in advance since
the time needed to transit from a Black Sea or Mediterranean
port to an entrance to the Straits is often even less than 24
hours.
14 The Russian Federation urges the
Committee to finalize the matter at this session taking as a
basis for discussion specific proposals contained in annexes
1 to 3 to annex 10 of NAV 43/15.
I:/MSC/70/11-11.WPD
