7 FCC Red No. 3 Federal Communications Commission Record FCC 92-19 Reserve power and antenna Before the tracking requirements 41 Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 Watchkeeping requirements 43 Funding and charges for GMDSS communications 45 CONCLUSION 46 PR Docket No. 90-480 PROCEDURAL MATTERS & ORDERING CLAUSES 47 In the Matter of ATTACHMENTS Appendix A Amendment of Parts 13 and 80 of the List of Commenters Commission's Rules to implement An Example of GMDSS the Global Maritime Distress and Communications Appendix B Appendix C Safety System (GMDSS) to improve the GMDSS Implementation Dates safety of life at sea. Regulatory Flexibility Act Final Analysis Appendix D Rule Amendments Appendix E REPORT AND ORDER (Proceeding Terminated) I. INTRODUCTION Adopted: January 16, 1992; Released: February 7, 1992 l. This Report and Order implements the Global Mari­ time Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) in the Commis­ By the Commission: Commissioner Marshall not sion's Maritime Service Rules substantially as proposed. present. By this action, we adopt the requirements of the interna­ tional Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention for large oceangoing U.S. vessels. These requirements will be TABLE OF CONTENTS phased in during the 1992 to 1999 time period. Topic Paragraph No. II. BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION 1 2. The GMDSS represents the biggest improvement in BACKGROUND 2 marine safety since the first maritime regulations were enacted following the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. It is DISCUSSION 4 an automated ship-to-shore distress alerting system that GMDSS Implementation 5 relies on satellite and advanced terrestrial systems. By Radio Operators and Radio- incorporating these advanced communications techniques equipment Maintenance 12 into the safety system and using ship-to-shore communica­ Radio personnel and maintenance tions links. the GMDSS will significantly improve safety of life and property at sea throughout the world. 1 It options aboard GMDSS ships 16 represents more than a decade of work by the Interna­ Certification of radio operators tional Maritime Organization (IMO] and the International and at-sea maintainers 20 Telecommunication Union (ITU). In November 1987. Operational and Technical Issues 26 the ITU adopted GMDSS associated revisions to the Radio Maritime safety information 26 Regulations. See, Final Acts of the World Administrative Radio Conference for Mobile Services (MOB-87), Geneva, Equipment standards and 1987. In November 1988. the IMO adopted amendments authorization 28 to the 1974 SOLAS Convention to implement the INMARSAT ship earth stations 32 GMDSS internationally. See, Final Acts of the Conference Other satellite systems 34 of Contracting Governments to the International Conven­ Terrestrial Digital Selective Calling 35 tion for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974. on the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, London, 1988 Survival craft radios. EPIRBs. (GMDSS Amendments). In October 1990, we proposed to and SARTs 36 1 The advent of satellite and automated terrestrial communica­ radio operators on board GMDSS-equipped ships will use mod­ tions systems offers important advantages for distress and safety ern radio equipment to send distress alerts over long distances communications. The current distress and safety system is pri­ with assurance that they will be received on shore. marily a manual, ship-to-ship system that relies on Morse code 2 The IMO and the ITU are both agencies of the United radiotelegraphy on 500 kHz and voice radiotelephony on 2182 Nations. The IMO specifies regulations for the maritime service, kHz and 156.8 MHz. Its effectiveness depends on the location of such as equipment carriage requirements for certain classes of the nearest vessel. propagation conditions, and the technical ships. The ITU specifies regulations for radio matters, such as proficiency of the radio officer. Under the GMDSS. licensed operating procedures and frequency allotments. 951 FCC 92-19 Federal Communications Commission Record 7 FCC Red No. 3 adopt the international GMDSS provisions for U.S. vessels and forms a major component for distress alerting and in a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (Notice), PR Docket communications. In addition to satellites, new automated No. 90-480, 5 FCC Red 6212 (1990). terrestrial data systems and existing systems are combined 3. Parts 13 and 80 of the Commission's Rules currently into one overall communications system. The GMDSS . specify the radio operator licenses and the radio equip­ will provide for new digital selective calling (DSC) ser­ ment requirements for U.S. vessels. They are based on vices on high frequency (HF), medium frequency (MF), international requirements contained in the 1974 SOLAS or very high frequency (VHF) bands depending upon the Convention and similar domestic requirements delineated location of the ship in distress. These new DSC services in the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Com­ will be used for ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore. and shore­ munications Act), 47 U.S.C. §§ 351-364 . Ships subject to to-ship automatic alerting, while existing terrestrial HF, either the SOLAS Convention or the Communications MF. and VHF radiotelephony equipment provides dis­ Act are required to carry certain radio equipment and tress. urgency. and safety related communications. The personnel for safety purposes. These ships are termed GMDSS will enhance search and rescue (SAR) operations "compulsory" ships. In the Notice, we proposed revising through the use of the new 9 GHz search and rescue our requirements for compulsory radio-equipped ships to transponder (SART). Finally, it will create a global net­ reflect the international GMDSS provisions.3 An extension work for the dissemination of maritime safety information of time to file comments and reply comments was granted (MSI) using three systems: NAVTEX. IMMARSAT en­ on December 24. 1990. Order, PR Docket No. 90-480. 6 hanced group calling (EGC), and HF narrow-band direct­ FCC Red 6 (1990). The comment period closed on June printing (NBDP) radiotelegraphy. 7. 1991. and the reply comment period closed on July 6, 6. The two most notable features of the system are that 1991. We received twenty-two comments. seven reply it is based on sea areas of operation and that it offers comments. and two ex parte comments.4 (Appendix A lists multiple communications options. The first of these fea­ the commenters.) tures, sea area basing, divides the seas into four-commu­ nications areas. Sea Area Al is the area within VHF radiotelephone coverage of at least one coast station at III. DISCUSSION which continuous DSC is available (approximately 20-30 4. We will begin our discussion with a brief description miles). Sea Area A2 is the area within MF radiotelephone of the GMDSS outlining its differences from the present coverage of at least one coast station at which continuous maritime distress communications system. We will also DSC is available (approximately 75-150 miles). excluding clarify the relationship of the SOLAS Convention and the Sea Area Al. Sea Area A3 is the area within the coverage Communications Act, and consider the general issue of of an INMARSAT geostationary satellite in which con­ whether to adopt the GMDSS for U.S. vessels. We will tinuous alerting is available (approximately 70° North to then address the controversial matters concerning the ra­ 70° South). excluding Sea Areas Al and A2. Sea Area Al dio operator and equipment maintenance issues. Finally. is the remainder of the seas of the world (essentially the we will discuss the operational and technical issues relat­ polar regions) and relies primarily on HF communica­ ing to satellites. terrestrial systems. and equipment perfor­ tions. Sea areas are established by individual countries. mance requirements. which equip their shore stations with appropriate VHF. MF. HF or sat~llite facilities to "cover" particular seg­ A. GMDSS Implementation ments of ocean.' 5. The GMDSS is primarily a ship-to-shore system. 7. The second significant feature of the GMDSS. mul­ though it retains ship-to-ship capability.5 The GMDSS tiple communications options. ensures that each ship consists of several communication systems. some of which using the GMDSS will have at least two options of distress are new. but most of which have been in operation for alerting appropriate to its sea area. This redundancy will several years. The COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system. minimize the chance that a ship in distress will be unable which has been in operation since 1982. provides distress to communicate because of weather. radio propagation alerting using the 406 MHz emergency position-indicating difficulties. equipment failure. or other circumstances. This feature represents a significant improvement over the radio beacon ( 406 MHz EPIRB ).h The International Mari­ time Satellite Organization ·s (INMARSAT) maritime mo­ bile satellite system has also been in operation since 1982 3 The Notice stated that the proposed rules addressed compul­ Notice. See Notice, supra. at paras. 8-20. Additionally. a simpli­ sory ships. It defined "compulsory ships" as cargo ships 300 tons fied diagram of the GMDSS radiocommunication systems is gross tonnage and over and all passenger ships that carry more presented in Appendix B. than twelve passengers regardless of their size. as specified in the ° COSPAS-SARSAT is a joint international satellite-based SOLAS Convention or Title Ill, Part II of the Communications search and rescue system established by Canada. France. USSR. Act. See Notice, supra. at para. 21. and the United States to locate emergency radiobeacons trans­ 4 Additionally, we received a letter signed by Thomas C. Harp­ mitting on 121.5 MHz and -106 MHz. The U.S. satellites in this er, president of the Radio-Electronic Officers Union (ROU). svstem also receive on 2-13 MHz. · stating that comments filed in the name of the ROU and -- For example, a shore station must add VHF-DSC equipment bearing Lewis D. Smith's signature were not authorized by the to establish an Al sea area for a particular geographic region.