1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its eighty-first
session (10 to 19 May 2006), recalling the request of the Tokyo Ministerial
Conference on International Transport Security, held on 12 and 13
January 2006, for the Organization to undertake a study and make,
as necessary, recommendations to enhance the security of ships other
than those already covered by SOLAS chapter
XI-2 and the ISPS Code, agreed that
the development of recommendations aimed at enhancing the security
of those ships would be desirable and would contribute to the efforts
of the Organization to enhance maritime security and that such recommendations
would need to be practical, sustainable and proportionate to the risks
and threats involved.
2 The Committee, at its eighty-second session
(29 November to 8 December 2006), began consideration of issues relating
to the security aspects of the operation of vessels which do not fall
within the scope of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and
the ISPS Code (non-SOLAS vessels), and established
a correspondence group on these issues.
3 The Committee, at its eighty-third session (3
to 12 October 2007), considered how to progress the issue of security
aspects of the operation of non-SOLAS vessels and re-established a
correspondence group on these issues and agreed the following categories
of vessel to be covered by the Guidelines:
4 The Committee, at its eighty-fifth session (26
November to 5 December 2008), approved the non-mandatory Guidelines
on security aspects of the operation of ships which do not fall within
the scope of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and
the ISPS Code, as set out in the annex, as
guidance for Member States.
5 This guidance is non-mandatory and has not been
designed to form the basis of a mandatory instrument.
6 It has been formatted in two parts. Part 1 of the annex contains information
of interest to Member States and other authorities with responsibility
for administering non-SOLAS vessels (other authorities). Part 2 of the annex contains information
pertinent to the owners, operators and users (operators) of non-SOLAS
vessels and related facilities, with appendices containing information
specific to the four vessels categories.
7 Member States are invited to consider these
non-mandatory Guidelines and take action as appropriate.