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32 In order to minimize co-ordination problems and possible delays in cases when messages related to the Malacca/Singapore Strait areas are received, e.g. by European Coast earth stations and RCCs, it seems desirable that key personnel both from those RCCs which regularly receive messages from the area and from the RCCs situated in this area, are given the opportunity to exchange views and to discuss suitable procedures and actions in different types of situations. Common exercises to verify that procedures and actions are effective should also be considered, and may contribute to a higher level of confidence with respect to handling such situations in the future.
33
As stated elsewhere in this report, when patrol boats from any country are chasing pirates or armed robbers, they will normally limit their operations to their own territorial waters. Thus, in order to combat piracy effectively, it is very important that all countries with common boarders in areas of frequent piracy attack should co-ordinate their activities and establish reliable communication links between relevant authorities in each country. The extensive co-ordination between the three littoral States in the Malacca/Singapore Strait area established some months ago has been described earlier and experience during the period clearly indicates that such actions are an effective deterrent to the activities of pirates and armed robbers.
Facilities for transmission of warnings to ships
34
When a ship is attacked by pirates or armed robbers, experience has shown that it is not unlikely that the attackers will hit more than one ship during the same night. Therefore, when shore authorities receive a message from a ship of an attack or attempted attack in an area, it is essential that appropriate shore authorities should, as soon as possible, transmit a warning to ships in the area, so that they can take extra precautions. Different frequencies/systems may be used for such messages, depending partly on which areas the warning relates to. Verbal warning (e.g. on VHF channel 16 or 2,182 kHz) may be used, but the probability of correct reception will increase significantly if written messages can be transmitted by shore provided ships have suitable facilities for reception.
35 In this respect it is important to note that one of the few GMDSS requirements which was made applicable to all SOLAS vessels as early as 1 August 1993, is the requirement to carry a NAVTEX receiver. Many ships are already fitted with such receivers, either voluntarily or as a consequence of national requirements. The NAVTEX system therefore seems ideal for such warnings and a NAVTEX transmission station is established in Singapore. As noted before, the radio noise levels in the MF band are periodically extremely high in these areas, but experience has shown that radio noise has little negative influence on the reception of NAVTEX transmissions. Thus the Singapore station is normally capable of covering all areas within approximately 400 nm of the transmitter sometimes even longer. Normal (i.e. "Routine") NAVTEX warnings are, however, transmitted at fixed schedules (every 4 hours), so that there may be significant delays between a coast station receiving information and actually transmitting the information as NAVTEX message to shipping in the area.
a
36 For piracy warnings, it is imperative to avoid delays of this magnitude. In relation to this subject, it should be taken into account that the NAVTEX system has defined 3 levels of priority, i.e "Routine", "Important" and
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