SUB-COMMITTEE ON
RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS AND SEARCH
AND RESCUE
4th session
Agenda item 8
COMSAR 4/8/9
13 April 1999
Original: ENGLISH
MATTERS CONCERNING SEARCH AND RESCUE INCLUDING THOSE RELATED TO THE 1979 SAR CONFERENCE AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GMDSS
Indian Ocean Conference on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)
Note by the Secretariat
SUMMARY
Executive summary: This document provides information on the report of the above Conference and invites the Sub-Committee to take action.
Action to be taken: Paragraph 10
Related documents: MSC 70/23 COMSAR 4/INF.5
1 As reported to the Committee at its seventieth session (MSC 70/23, paragraph 7.13), a SAR/GMDSS Conference was convened in Fremantle (Australia) with the co-operation of the Government of Australia and with financial support from the Governments of Australia, Canada the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, the International Mobile Satellite Organization (Inmarsat) and the International Transport Workers' Federation.
2 The Conference was held from 21 to 25 September 1998 and was attended by representatives from 20 countries.
3 The purpose of the Conference was to enable representatives of countries in the region to consider:
.1 developing one provisional integrated SAR plan for the entire Indian Ocean, thus maximizing co-ordination and cost efficiency for SAR operations;
.2 providing coverage for areas in the Indian Ocean identified as lacking the necessary arrangements for SAR purposes;
