Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1932

SAFETY OPERATORS.

In order to ensure the coming into force at an early date of the international agreement to make the installation of radio-telegraphy obligatory on all cargo ships of 1,600 tons gross tonnage and upwards, and thereby to promote the general safety of life at sea, the Contracting Governments undertake to use their efforts to promote an amendment to the Radiotelegraph Convention to the effect that the requirements as to the minimum speed of operation to be attained by an operator on board a compulsorily fitted ship should be laid down as follows:—

“Correct transmission and correct reception by ear of code groups (mixed letters, figures and punctuation marks) at a speed of 16 (sixteen) groups per minute. Each code group must comprise 5 (five) characters, each figure or punctuation mark counting as 2 (two) characters.”

Should the International Radiotelegraph Conference find itself unable to approve of the above proposal, the present Conference is of opinion that a new Certificate with operating qualifications as set out above should be established, and that the holders of such Certificate should be authorised to deal with public correspondence in ship stations of the Third Class as defined by the Washington Radiotelegraph Convention.