1. Expand the following terms : (A) AMVER (B) SOPEP (C) UNCLOS (D) GMDSS (E) GESAMP (F) IMDG

(A) AMVER:  sponsored by the United States Coast Guard, is a unique, computer-based, free, and voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. With AMVER, rescue coordinators can identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship or ships to respond. Participating in AMVER does not put ships under any additional obligation to assist in search and rescue efforts, beyond that which is required under international law.

There are four types of Amver reports: Sailing Plan, Position Report, Deviation Report, and Arrival Report.                                                                                              

A brief description follows below:                                                                                           

 A. Sailing Plan – contains complete routing information and should be sent within a few hours before, upon, or within a few hours after departure.                                                    

B. Position Report – should be sent within 24 hours of departure and subsequently at least every 48 hours until arrival. The destination should also be included in Position Reports.                                                                                                                               

C. Deviation Report – should be sent as soon as any voyage information changes, which could affect Amver’s ability to accurately predict the vessel’s position. Changes in course or speed due to weather, ice, change in destination, or any other deviations from the original Sailing Plan should be reported as soon as possible.                             

D. Arrival Report – should be sent upon arrival at the sea buoy or port of destination. 6 E. At the discretion of the master, reports may be sent more frequently than the above schedule, for example: during heavy weather or other adverse conditions. Complete, timely, and accurate reports are essential to keeping Amver accurate and saving lives!

(B) SOPEP:

Ship board oil pollution emergency plan (SOPEP) approved by the flag administration & requiring by every oil danker of 150 GRT & every non-tanker of 400 GRT & over. SOPEP plan is an emergency contrail list & a guideline to recover for emergency situation of oil pollution.                                                                                                     

(C) UNCLOS: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place from 1973 through 1982. The Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources.                                                                                                                  

UNCLOS I                                                                                                                           

In 1956, the United Nations held its first Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS I) at Geneva, Switzerland. UNCLOS I resulted in four treaties concluded in 1958:                

* Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, entry into force: 10 September 1964                                                                                                                               

* Convention on the Continental Shelf, entry into force: 10 June 1964                                         * Convention on the High Seas, entry into force: 30 September 1962                                

* Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas, entry into force: 20 March 1966                                                                                                          

 There are 2 more; UNCLOS II, UNCLOS III. 

(D) GMDSS: The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is an internationally agreed-upon set of safety procedures, types of equipment, and communication protocols used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft.                                                                                                                          

GMDSS consists of several systems. The system is intended to perform the following functions:                                                                                                                                              

- alerting (including position determination of the unit in distress),                                                      

- search and rescue coordination,                                                                                                       

-locating (homing),                                                                                                                             

-maritime safety information broadcasts,                                                                                                

-general communications and                                                                                                               

 -Bridge-to-bridge communications.                                                                                                  Vessels under 300 Gross tonnage (GT) are not subject to GMDSS requirements.               

(E)GESAMP: (Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection)                                                                                                                               

Group of experts of UN are working here for marine environmental protection. GESAMP is presently sponsored by nine UN agencies: IMO, FAO, UNESCO-IOC, WMO, IAEA, UN, UNEP, UNIDO and UNDP.                                                                                                        

At present IMO is also the lead agency for two active Working Groups in GESAMP:           

WG 1: EHS Working Group                                                                                                                 

WG 34: Ballast Water Working Group                                                                                             (F)IMDG:  (International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code)                                                                    

It is an international guideline to the safe transportation or shipment of dangerous goods or hazardous materials by water on vessel. IMDG Code is intended to protect crew members and to prevent marine pollution in the safe transportation of hazardous materials by vessel. It is recommended to governments for adoption or for use as the basis for national regulations.                                                                                                                              

The implementation of the Code is mandatory under the SOLAS & MARPOL.

There are two Volumes with one supplement in New IMDG code.

There are nine classes

Class-1: Explosive

Class-2: Gases.

Class-3: Flammable liquid.

Class-4: Flammable solid & substances.

Class-5: Oxidizing substance & Organic per oxide.

Class-6: Toxic & infectious substances.

Class-7: Radioactive materials.

Class-8: Corrosive substances.

Class-9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances & articles.