ARTCC MANUAL CTLR HAD LESS THAN STANDARD OCEANIC SEPARATION BTWN AN MLT AND AN LGT OVERWATER WITH LGT AT WRONG ALT FOR DIRECTION OF FLT.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING THE MANUAL CTLR POS FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE GULF OF MEXICO (THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL SPLIT UTILIZED ON WKENDS DUE TO THE EXTREMELY HIGH VOLUME OF TFC AND THE ASSOCIATED NUMBER OF STRIPS IN THIS NON RADAR ENVIRONMENT). MLT X WAS SEBOUND ON A321. LGT Y WAS SWBOUND FROM MINOW INTXN DIRECT TO FRISH INTXN AT FL330 (WRONG ALT FOR DIRECTION). DUE TO AN ERROR IN THE WAY THE MLT X FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED; STRIPS WERE LATE IN ARRIVING AT THE OCEANIC SECTOR. LGT Y HAD ALREADY BEEN COORDINATED WITH MERIDA CENTER AND THE ALT APPROVED; ETC. LOA REQUIRES 30 MINS PRIOR TO ENTERING MERIDA CENTER AIRSPACE FOR COORD AND BY THE TIME THE RTE OF FLT WAS OBTAINED THE LIMIT WAS ALREADY BEING PUSHED. I THEN TRIED FOR 10 MINS TO PASS THE FLT PLAN TO MERIDA; BUT WAS UNABLE BECAUSE THE ONLY AVAILABLE LINE WAS IN USE BY THE OTHER MANUAL CTLR AND BECAUSE THE MERIDA CTLR WAS TOO BUSY TO ANSWER WHEN I COULD USE THE LINE. THE RADAR CTLR; DURING THIS TIME; HAD GIVEN MLT X CONTACT INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDING 'MONITOR THESE FREQ AND NY COM RADIO UNTIL PASSING ELIOM INTXN THEN CONTACT MERIDA CENTER.' I FINALLY MANAGED TO PASS THE FLT PLAN TO MERIDA CENTER AND THE MERIDA CTLR APPROVED FL330. I THEN TRIED TO CATCH UP ON OTHER WORK THAT HAD BEEN DELAYED WHILE I WAS TRYING TO PASS THE FLT PLAN. AFTER CLRING UP SEVERAL ITEMS; I RECHKED MY TFC AND SAW THE PENDING CONFLICTION AT FRISH INTXN BTWN MLT X AND LGT Y. I TRIED TO CALL MERIDA CENTER TO COORDINATE A PLAN OF ACTION AND ADVISED THE RADAR CTLR TO INSURE THAT MLT X WAS STILL AVAILABLE. AFTER ABOUT 1 MIN THE MERIDA CTLR CALLED TO SAY THAT HE HAD ALSO SPOTTED THE CONFLICTION AND THAT HE REQUESTED MLT X BE DSNDED TO FL310. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT MLT X WERE MADE; BOTH DIRECTLY AND THROUGH OTHER ACFT. NY COM RADIO ALSO ATTEMPTED CONTACT. ALL TRIES WERE NEGATIVE. THE MERIDA CENTER CTLR FINALLY ADVISED THAT HE WAS IN CONTACT WITH LGT Y AND WAS CLBING THE ACFT TO FL350. THIS ALT CHANGE WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED IN TIME TO PROVIDE STANDARD SEPARATION.