RELIEVING ZNY CTLR RECOGNIZES OCEANIC B737 AND B727 CONFLICT; BUT ACTION TAKEN IS INSUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH OCEANIC SEPARATION CRITERIA.

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BOTH ACFT WERE AT FL310 IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. ONE ACFT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CLBED TO FL330 IN TIME TO ENSURE VERT SEPARATION. THE CTLR FORGOT TO CLB THAT ACFT. THE CTLR MAINTAINS THAT IF A ROUTINE PROGRESS RPT WAS MADE IN A TIMELY MANNER; HE WOULD HAVE DETECTED THAT THE ACFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT FL330 INSTEAD OF FL310. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS THE RELIEVED SECTOR. MANUAL CTLR RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERROR. THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE APPROX 400 MI SW OF TXKF (BERMUDA; UK). THE B737 TOOK TCASII ACTION DUE TO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION B727. THE NBOUND B737 HAD JUST DEPARTED RADAR COVERAGE. THE ONCOMING CTLR ATTEMPTED ALT CLB OF THE B737 THROUGH NEW YORK COM RADIO AND ON GUARD FREQ; BUT TCASII ACTION WAS ALREADY IN PROGRESS; AND LEGAL SEPARATION WAS LOST. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 493530: OCEANIC NON RADAR. 2 ACFT AT FL310. SBOUND ACFT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CLBED TO FL330; BUT WAS NOT RESULTING IN HEAD-ON AT FL310. DISCOVERED BY ME AFTER ASSUMING SECTOR. BAD COM COMPLICATED PROB. SECTOR WORKLOAD WAS HIGH.