THE COUNCIL,

HAVING REGARD to Article 5 b) of the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of 14 December 1960;

NOTING the growing concern among maritime and coastal states of the dangers which are posed in the fields of maritime safety and marine pollution by ships which do not meet internationally agreed standards;

CONSIDERING that the 62nd Session (Maritime) of the International Labour Conference adopted on 29 October 1976 a Convention (No. 147) concerning Minimum Standards in Merchant Ships [Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976] and a Recommendation (No. 155) concerning the Improvement of Standards in Merchant Ships [Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Recommendation, 1976];

CONSIDERING that the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organisation adopted, on 12 November 1975, a Resolution [A.321(IX)] on Procedures for the Control of Ships supported by a document entitled "Substandard Ships: Guidelines on Control Procedures";

On the proposal of the Maritime Transport Committee;

RECOMMENDS that the Governments of Member countries undertake all necessary measures to give full compliance within their jurisdictions to the minimum standards and procedures relating to matters contained in the above-mentioned international instruments.