Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and Voyage Data Recorders (S-VDRs/VDRs) that will be installed on or after 1 July 2022 must be approved as per latest SOLAS requirements.
As per IMO’s MSC.471(101), EPIRB installed on a ship on or after 1st July 2022 should have a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmitter. Testing and maintenance of Float-Free EPIRB must be aligned with the aforementioned requirements.
As per IMO’s MSC.494(104) for VDR and IMO’s MSC.493(104) for S-VDR installed on a ship on or after 1st July 2022, VDR’s float-free data capsule is required to meet the requirements of the latest EPIRB performance standard.
The aim of the aforementioned revised standards is to improve the capability of these devices in order to assist in distress through an efficient SAR response and their ability to locate the ship and the crew in distress.
Ship managers and Masters are advised to implement an action plan in consultation with manufacturer in order to conform to the amended performance standards as described above.
Source: www.imo.org
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