SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA

CHAPTER V.-SAFETY OF NAVIGATION

Regulation 1

Application

This Chapter, unless otherwise expressly provided in this Chapter, applies to all ships on all voyages, except ships of war and ships solely navigating the Great Lakes of North America and their connecting and tributary waters as far east as the lower exit of the St. Lambert Lock at Montreal in the Province of Quebec, Canada.

Regulation 2

Danger Messages

(a) The master of every ship which meets with dangerous ice, a dangerous derelict, or any other direct danger to navigation, or a tropical storm, or encounters sub-freezing air temperatures associated with gale force winds causing severe ice accretion on superstructures, or winds of force 10 or above on the Beaufort scale for which no storm warning has been received, is bound to communicate the information by all the means at his disposal to ships in the vicinity, and also to the competent authorities at the first point on the coast with which he can communicate. The form in which the information is sent is not obligatory. It may be transmitted either in plain language (preferably English) or by means of the International Code of Signals. It should be broadcast to all ships in the vicinity and sent to the first point on the coast to which communication can be made, with a request that it be transmitted to the appropriate authorities.

(b) Each Contracting Government will take all steps necessary to ensure that when intelligence of any of the dangers specified in paragraph (a) is received, it will be promptly brought to the knowledge of those concerned and communicated to other interested Governments.

(c) The transmission of messages respecting the dangers specified is free of cost to the ships concerned.

(d) All radio messages issued under paragraph (a) of this Regulation shall be preceded by the Safety Signal, using the procedure as prescribed by the Radio Regulations as defined in Regulation 2 of Chapter IV.

Regulation 3

Information required in Danger Messages

The following information is required in danger messages:

(a) Ice, Derelicts and other Direct Dangers to Navigation.

(i) The kind of ice, derelict or danger observed;

(ii) the position of the ice, derelict or danger when last observed;

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(iii) the time and date (Greenwich Mean Time) when danger last observed.

(b) Tropical Storms (Hurricanes in the West Indies, Typhoons in the China Sea, Cyclones in Indian waters, and storms of a similar nature in other regions).

(i) A statement that a tropical storm has been encountered. This obligation should be interpreted in a broad spirit, and information transmitted whenever the master has good reason to believe that a tropical storm is developing or exists in his neighbourhood.

(ii) Time, date (Greenwich Mean Time) and position of ship when the observation was taken.

(iii) As much of the following information as is practicable should be included in the message:

-barometric pressure, preferably corrected (stating millibars, inches, or millimetres, and whether corrected or uncorrected);

-barometric tendency (the change in barometric pressure during the past three hours);

-true wind direction;

-wind force (Beaufort scale);

-state of the sea (smooth, moderate, rough, high);

-swell (slight, moderate, heavy) and the true direction from which it comes. Period or length of swell (short, average, long) would also be of value;

-true course and speed of ship.

(c) Subsequent Observations. When a master has reported a tropical or other dangerous storm, it is desirable, but not obligatory, that further observations be made and transmitted hourly, if practicable, but in any case at intervals of not more than three hours, so long as the ship remains under the influence of the storm.

(d) Winds of force 10 or above on the Beaufort scale for which no storm warning has been received.

This is intended to deal with storms other than the tropical storms referred to in paragraph (b); when such a storm is encountered, the message should contain similar information to that listed under paragraph (b) but excluding the details concerning sea and swell.

(e) Sub-freezing air temperatures associated with gale force winds causing severe ice accretion on superstructures.

Ice

Examples

TTT Ice. Large berg sighted in 4605 N., 4410 W., at 0800 GMT. May 15.

Derelicts

TTT Derelict. Observed derelict almost submerged in 4006 N., 1243 W., at 1630 GMT. April 21.

Danger to Navigation

TTT Navigation. Alpha lightship not on station. 1800 GMT. January 3.

Tropical Storm

TTT Storm. 0030 GMT. August 18. 2204 N., 11354 E. Barometer corrected 994 millibars, tendency down 6 millibars. Wind NW., force 9, heavy squalls. Heavy easterly swell. Course 067, 5 knots.

TTT Storm. Appearances indicate approach of hurricane. 1300 GMT. September 14. 2200 N., 7236 W. Barometer corrected 29.64 inches, tendency down .015 inches. Wind NE., force 8, frequent rain squalls. Course 035, 9 knots.

TTT Storm. Conditions indicate intense cyclone has formed. 0200 GMT. May 4. 1620 N., 9203 E. Barometer uncorrected 753 millimetres, tendency down 5 millimetres. Wind S. by W., force 5. Course 300, 8 knots.

TTT Storm. Typhoon to southeast. 0300 GMT. June 12. 1812 N., 12605 E. Barometer falling rapidly. Wind increasing from N.

TTT Storm. Wind force 11, no storm warning received. 0300 GMT. May 4. 4830 N., 30 W. Barometer corrected 983 millibars, tendency down 4 millibars. Wind SW., force 11 veering. Course 260, 6 knots.

Icing

TTT experiencing severe icing. 1400 GMT. March 2. 69 N., 10 W. Air temperature 18. Sea temperature 29. Wind NE., force 8.

Regulation 4

Meteorological Services

(a) The Contracting Governments undertake to encourage the collection of meteorological data by ships at sea and to arrange for their examination, dissemination and exchange in the manner most suitable for the purpose of aiding navigation. Administrations shall encourage the use of instruments of a high degree of accuracy, and shall facilitate the checking of such instruments upon request.

(b) In particular, the Contracting Governments undertake to co-operate in carrying out, as far as practicable, the following meteorological arrangements:

(i) To warn ships of gales, storms and tropical storms, both by the issue of radio messages and by the display of appropriate signals at coastal points.

(ii) To issue daily, by radio, weather bulletins suitable for shipping, containing data of existing weather, waves and ice, forecasts and,

when practicable, sufficient additional information to enable simple weather charts to be prepared at sea and also to encourage the transmission of suitable facsimile weather charts.

(iii) To prepare and issue such publications as may be necessary for the efficient conduct of meteorological work at sea and to arrange, if practicable, for the publication and making available of daily weather charts for the information of departing ships.

(iv) To arrange for selected ships to be equipped with tested instruments (such as a barometer, a barograph, a psychrometer, and suitable apparatus for measuring sea temperature) for use in this service, and to take meteorological observations at main standard times for surface synoptic observations (at least four times daily, whenever circumstances permit) and to encourage other ships to take observations in a modified form, particularly when in areas where shipping is sparse; these ships to transmit their observations by radio for the benefit of the various official meteorological services, repeating the information for the benefit of ships in the vicinity. When in the vicinity of a tropical storm, or of a suspected tropical storm, ships should be encouraged to take and transmit their observations at more frequent intervals whenever practicable, bearing in mind navigational preoccupations of ships' officers during storm conditions.

(v) To arrange for the reception and transmission by coast radio stations of weather messages from and to ships. Ships which are unable to communicate direct with shore shall be encouraged to relay their weather messages through ocean weather ships or through other ships which are in contact with shore.

(vi) To encourage all masters to inform ships in the vicinity and also shore stations whenever they experience a wind speed of 50 knots or more (force 10 on the Beaufort scale).

(vii) To endeavour to obtain a uniform procedure in regard to the international meteorological services already specified, and, as far as is practicable, to conform to the Technical Regulations and recommendations made by the World Meteorological Organization, to which the Contracting Governments may refer for study and advice any meteorological question which may arise in carrying out the present Convention.

(c) The information provided for in this Regulation shall be furnished in form for transmission and transmitted in the order of priority prescribed by

the Radio Regulations, and during transmission "to all stations" of meteorological information, forecasts and warnings, all ship stations must conform to the provisions of the Radio Regulations.

(d) Forecasts, warnings, synoptic and other meteorological reports intended for ships shall be issued and disseminated by the national service in the best position to serve various zones and areas, in accordance with mutual arrangements made by the Contracting Governments concerned.

Regulation 5

Ice Patrol Service

(a) The Contracting Governments undertake to continue an ice patrol and a service for study and observation of ice conditions in the North Atlantic. During the whole of the ice season the south-eastern, southern and southwestern limits of the regions of icebergs in the vicinity of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland shall be guarded for the purpose of informing passing ships of the extent of this dangerous region; for the study of ice conditions in general; and for the purpose of affording assistance to ships and crews requiring aid within the limits of operation of the patrol ships. During the rest of the year the study and observation of ice conditions shall be maintained as advisable.

(b) Ships and aircraft used for the ice patrol service and the study and observation of ice conditions may be assigned other duties by the managing Government, provided that such other duties do not interfere with their primary purpose or increase the cost of this service.

Regulation 6

Ice Patrol. Management and Cost

(a) The Government of the United States of America agrees to continue the management of the ice patrol service and the study and observation of ice conditions, including the dissemination of information received therefrom. The Contracting Governments specially interested in these services undertake to contribute to the expense of maintaining and operating these services; each contribution to be based upon the total gross tonnage of the vessels of each contributing Government passing through the regions of icebergs guarded by the Ice Patrol; in particular, each Contracting Government specially interested undertakes to contribute annually to the expense of maintaining and operating these services a sum determined by the ratio which the total gross tonnage of that Contracting Government's vessels passing during the ice season through the regions of icebergs guarded by the Ice Patrol bears to the combined total gross tonnage of the vessels of all contributing Governments passing during the ice season through the regions of icebergs guarded by the Ice Patrol. Non-contracting Governments specially interested may contribute to the expense of maintaining and operating these services on the same basis. The managing Government will furnish annually to each contributing Government