Technical Circular No026
Technical Circular No026
Technical Circular No026
ii. Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs): Revised performance standard vide Resolution
MSC. 494 (104) is to be applied on or after 1 July 2022 as follows -
“VDRs installed on or after 1 July 2022, must conform to performance standards not
inferior to those specified in the annex to resolution MSC.333 (90), as amended by
resolution MSC. 494 (104)”.
“Float-free EPIRBs operating on 406 MHz, installed on or after 1 July 2022, must
conform to performance standards and type-approval standards not inferior to those
specified in the annex to the resolution MSC. 471 (101)”.
2. Ship owners/ managers and masters are advised to take note of above and accordingly
plan in consultation with the manufacturer that above mentioned shipborne navigational
and radio equipment installed onboard on or after 1 July 2022 conforms to the amended
performance standards as above.
Enclosure:
. This Technical Circular and the material contained in it is provided only for the purpose of
supplying current information to the reader and not as an advice to be relied upon by any
person.
. While we have taken utmost care to be as factual as possible, readers/ users are advised to
verify the exact text and content of the Regulation from the original source/ issuing Authority.
Whilst the utmost care has been taken in the compilation of the Technical Information, neither Indian Register of
Shipping, its affiliates and subsidiaries if any, nor any of its directors, officers, employees or agents assume any
responsibility and shall not be liable to any person for any loss, damage or expense caused in any manner
whatsoever by reliance on the information in this document.
MSC 101/24/Add.1
Annex 24, page 1
ANNEX 24
RESOLUTION MSC.471(101)
(adopted on 14 June 2019)
RECALLING ALSO regulations IV/7.1 and 14.1 of the International Convention for the Safely
of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as amended, concerning radiocommunications for the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), which require, inter alia, that ships be
provided with an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), which shall conform to
appropriate performance standards not inferior to those adopted by the Organization,
RECOGNIZING the need to prepare performance standards for float-free EPIRBs operating
on 406 MHz through the Cospas-Sarsat System of low-altitude earth orbiting, medium-altitude
earth orbiting, and geostationary earth orbiting satellites to be used in the GMDSS, in order to
ensure the operational reliability of such equipment and to avoid, as far as practicable, adverse
interaction between such equipment and other communication and navigation equipment on
board ships,
RECOGNIZING ALSO that EPIRBs, as a component of the GMDSS and operating through
the Cospas-Sarsat System in the frequency band 406-406.1 MHz, should be type-approved to
ensure the integrity of the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system, avoid harmful interference to the
spaceborne equipment, exclude unauthorized transmissions, and to provide reliable data to
rescue coordination centres,
2 RECOMMENDS that Member States ensure that float-free EPIRBs operating on the
frequency 406 MHz, which form part of the GMDSS:
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Annex 24, page 2
4 AGREES that any proposed amendments to this resolution are agreed with the
Cospas-Sarsat partners prior to their adoption;
5 ALSO AGREES to keep these Performance Standards under review and to adopt
amendments thereto, as necessary.
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Annex 24, page 3
ANNEX
Part A – GENERAL
1 INTRODUCTION
The emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) should, in addition to meeting the
requirements of the Radio Regulations, the relevant ITU-R Recommendations and the general
requirements set out in resolution A.694(17), comply with the following performance standards.
2 GENERAL
2.1 The EPIRB should be capable of transmitting a distress alert, including encoded
position information from a receiver using a recognised global navigation satellite system
(GNSS) with global coverage, to satellites equipped with a search and rescue 406 MHz
processor or repeater.
2.2 The EPIRB should be of an automatic float-free type. The equipment, mounting and
releasing arrangements should be reliable, and should operate satisfactorily under the most
extreme conditions likely to be met with at sea.
.6 be capable of floating upright in calm water and have positive stability and
sufficient buoyancy in all sea conditions;
.7 be capable of being dropped into the water without damage from a height
of 20 m;
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Annex 24, page 4
.10 be equipped with a buoyant lanyard suitable for use as a tether (to a liferaft,
lifeboat or person in the water but not to the ship), which should be so
arranged as to prevent its being trapped in the ship's structure when floating
free;
.11 be provided with a low duty cycle light (0.75 cd), active during darkness,
visible to the human eye and detectable by all types of night vision devices,
to indicate its position to nearby survivors and to rescue units;
.14 be provided with a 121.5 MHz beacon primarily for homing by aircraft;
.15 be provided with a GNSS receiver for position fixes and an associated
indication that GNSS signal reception is satisfactory or unsatisfactory; and
2.4 The battery should have sufficient capacity to operate the EPIRB for a period of at
least 48 h.
2.5 The EPIRB should be so designed as to operate under any of the following
environmental conditions:
.2 icing;
.1 have local manual activation; remote activation may also be provided from
the navigating bridge, while the device is installed in the float-free mounting;
3 DISTRESS FUNCTION
3.1 When the EPIRB is manually operated a distress alert should be initiated only by
means of a dedicated distress alert activator.
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Annex 24, page 5
3.3 Manual distress alert initiation should require at least two independent actions.
3.4 The EPIRB should not be automatically activated after being manually removed from
the release mechanism.
.1 the GNSS position fix shall be updated at intervals of no more than five
minutes; and
.2 when an updated fix is transmitted in the AIS message for the first time, the
error between the transmitted and the actual position shall not exceed 30 m
assuming a drift rate of 3 kn.
5 LABELLING
5.1 Labelling for operation controls and indicators should, as far as possible, be
understood through graphical images and symbols without the need for text.
5.2 In addition to the items specified in resolution A.694(17) on general requirements, the
following should be clearly indicated on the exterior of the equipment:
1 The technical characteristics of the transmitted signal and the message format should
be in accordance with the requirements of Cospas-Sarsat System documents C/S T.001
or C/S T.018.
2 Provisions should be included for storing the fixed portion of the distress message in
the EPIRB using non-volatile memory.
3 A unique beacon identification code should be made part of all 406 MHz messages.
For EPIRBs compliant with C/S T.001 this identification code should include a three-digit
maritime identification digits (MID) code to denote the country in which the beacon is
registered, followed by either:
.1 the trailing 6 digits of the ship station identity in accordance with appendix 43
of ITU Radio Regulations Recommendation ITU-R M.585, Assignment and
use of identities in the maritime mobile service; or
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For EPIRBs compliant with C/S T.018 this identification code should include a three-digit
maritime identification digits (MID) code to denote the country in which the beacon is
registered, followed by a unique serial number and either the maritime mobile service identity
or a radio call sign.
.1 have a 121.5 MHz transmitting duty cycle not less than 50% (1.125 seconds
on, 1.125 seconds off) and if more than 50%, the on time should be increased
beyond 1.125 seconds and the off time reduced accordingly; and
.2 with the exception of the sweep direction, meet the technical characteristics
of appendix 15 of the Radio Regulations. The sweep may be either upward
or downward.
.2 start after the first 406 MHz satellite message and ensure the AIS signal does
not conflict with a scheduled 406 MHz satellite signal;
.3 when the AIS signal coincides with a scheduled 121.5 MHz homing signal,
then the 121.5 MHz homing signal may be interrupted for the transmission
of the AIS signal, provided the minimum 50% duty cycle is maintained;
.5 indicate in the transmitted AIS locating signal when the included position fix
is more than five minutes old.
1 EPIRBs forming an integral component of the GMDSS and operating through the
Cospas-Sarsat satellite system in the frequency band 406 - 406.1 MHz should be type
approved to ensure the integrity of the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system, avoid harmful
interference to the spaceborne equipment, exclude unauthorized transmissions, and to provide
reliable data to rescue coordination centres.
.1 ensure, as part of national type approval procedures, that any new type of
EPIRB to be deployed on board ships is tested to confirm that it is in
accordance with the performance standards for EPIRBs; confirmation that
the EPIRB meets part B of this performance standard can be achieved by
either:
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Annex 24, page 7
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MSC 104/18/Add.2
Annex 28, page 1
ANNEX 28
RESOLUTION MSC.493(104)
(adopted on 7 October 2021)
RECALLING ALSO resolution A.886(21), by which the Assembly resolved that the
functions of adopting performance standards for radio and navigational equipment, as well
as amendments thereto, shall be performed by the Maritime Safety Committee on behalf
of the Organization,
RECALLING FURTHER the Performance standards for shipborne simplified voyage data
recorders (S-VDRs) adopted by resolution MSC.163(78), as amended by resolution
MSC.214(81),
MSC 104-18-Add.2.docx
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Annex 28, page 2
ANNEX
1 In paragraph 3.2:
.1 resolutions A.810(19) and A.812(19) are deleted from the list; and
***
MSC 104-18-Add.2.docx
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Annex 29, page 1
ANNEX 29
RESOLUTION MSC.494(104)
(adopted on 7 October 2021)
RECALLING ALSO resolution A.886(21), by which the Assembly resolved that the function of
adopting performance standards and technical specifications, as well as amendments thereto,
shall be performed by the Maritime Safety Committee and/or the Marine Environment
Protection Committee, as appropriate, on behalf of the Organization,
RECALLING FURTHER that, by resolution A.861(20), the Assembly, at its twentieth session,
adopted the Performance standards for shipborne voyage data recorders (VDRs), which
were amended by resolution MSC.214(81),
RECALLING the revised Performance standards for shipborne voyage data recorders
(VDRs), adopted by resolution MSC.333(90), which are applicable to VDRs installed on or
after 1 July 2014,
MSC 104-18-Add.2.docx
MSC 104/18/Add.2
Annex 29, page 2
MSC 104-18-Add.2.docx