Acts Online
GT Shield

Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 (Act No. 57 of 1951)

Regulations

Merchant Shipping (Radio Installations) Regulations, 2002

Part 2 : GMDSS Requirements

13. Additional radio equipment to be provided for area A3 ships

 

(1) In addition to meeting the requirements of regulation 10, every area A3 ship must be provided with either the following equipment:

 

ALTERNATIVE A

 

(a) an INMARSAT ship earth station capable of—
(i) transmitting and receiving distress and safety communications using direct printing telegraphy;
(ii) initiating and receiving distress priority calls;
(iii) maintaining watch for shore-to-ship distress alerts, including those transmitted to specifically defined geographical areas; and
(iv) transmitting and receiving general radio communications, using either radiotelephony or direct-printing telegraphy; and
(b) an MF radio installation capable of transmitting and receiving, for distress and safety purposes, on the frequencies—
(i) 2187.5 kHz using DSC; and
(ii) 2182 kHz using radiotelephony;
(c) a radio installation capable of maintaining a continuous DSC watch on the frequency 2187.5 kHz, which may be separate from, or combined with, that required by paragraph (b)(i) of this ALTERNATIVE; and
(d) means of initiating the transmission of ship-to-shore distress alerts by a radio communication service operating either—
(i) through the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite service in the 406 MHz band, which requirement may be met by the satellite EPIRB required by regulation 10(1)(f), if it is installed close to, or capable of remote activation from, the position from which the ship is normally navigated; or
(ii) on HF using DSC; or
(iii) through the INMARSAT geostationary satellite service, either by an additional ship earth station, or by the satellite EPIRB required by regulation 10(1)(f), if it is installed close to, or capable of remote activation from, the position from which the ship is normally navigated,

or the following equipment:

 

ALTERNATIVE B

 

(a) an MF/HF radio installation capable of transmitting and receiving, for distress and safety purposes, on all distress and safety frequencies in the bands between 1605 kHz and 4000 kHz and between 4000 kHz and 27500 kHz using—
(i) DSC;
(ii) radiotelephony; and
(iii) direct-printing telegraphy; and
(b) equipment capable of maintaining DSC watch on the frequencies 2187.5 kHz, 8414.5 kHz and on at least one of the distress and safety DSC frequencies 4207.5 kHz, 6312 kHz, 12577 kHz or 16804.5 kHz, which equipment must be such that it is possible at any time to select any of these DSC distress and safety frequencies, and which may be separate from, or combined with, that required by paragraph (a) of this ALTERNATIVE; and
(c) means of initiating the transmission of ship-to-shore distress alerts by a radio communication service, other than HF, operating either—
(i) through the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite service in the 406 MHz band, which requirement may be met by the satellite EPIRB required by regulation 10(1)(f), if it is installed close to, or capable of remote activation from, the position from which the ship is normally navigated; or
(ii) through the INMARSAT geostationary satellite service, which requirement may be met by—
(aa) an INMARSAT ship earth station; or
(bb) the satellite EPIRB required by regulation 10(1)(f), if it is installed close to, or capable of remote activation from, the position from which the ship is normally navigated; and
(d) an MF/HF radio installation capable of transmitting and receiving general radio communications on working frequencies in the bands between 1605 kHz and 4000 kHz and between 4000 kHz and 27500 kHz, using radiotelephony or direct-printing telegraphy, which requirement may be met by the addition of this capability in the equipment required by paragraph (a) of this ALTERNATIVE.

 

(2) Means must be provided to initiate the transmission of distress alerts by the radio installations specified in paragraphs (a), (b) and (d) of ALTERNATIVE A or paragraphs (a) and (c) of ALTERNATIVE B in subregulation (1) from the position from which the ship is normally navigated.