Maritime
Senate concurs with SOLAS ' 78 and ' 88 , MARPOL conventions , 4 other maritime agreements
T he Senate adopted today seven maritime treaties , including two resolutions concurring in the ratification to the 1978 and 1988 international protocols relating to transnational maritime safety .
Senate Resolutions No . 648 , 649 , 650 , 651 , 652 , 653 , and 654 were sponsored by Senator Loren Legarda , chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations , and were approved with 19 affirmative votes , zero negative vote and no abstention . Legarda said that the Protocol of 1978 , relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS Convention ), was adopted by the International Maritime Organization ( IMO ) to update the safety standards of crude carriers and product carriers by requiring the fitting of inert gas systems as well as radars and steering gear mechanisms in vessels to enhance the safety of navigation .
The Protocol 1978 , SOLAS Convention , which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on August 10 , 2017 . The Convention requires crude carriers and product carriers of 20,000 deadweight tonnage ( DWT ) and above to be fitted with an inert gas system . All ships of 1,600-10,000 gross registered tonnage ( GRT ) and above must have two radars , each capable of operating independently .
The Protocol 1988 SOLAS Convention , signed by President Duterte on July 17 , 2017 , specifies the standards for the construction , equipment and operation of ships compatible with their safety .
The 1988 protocol relating to the international convention on load lines , which was adopted in 1966 , also aims to address issues on the safety of maritime vessels . The Convention was ratified by the President on August 23 , 2017 .
The Load Lines Convention prescribes the minimum reserve buoyancy
Senator Loren Legarda , chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Credits : senate . gov . ph
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