Adoption: 2 April 1977
Status: The Convention has been superseded by the 1993 Protocol- see status of conventions

The 1977 Convention
Revision of Convention

The 1993 Torremolinos Protocol
Chapter 1 - General Provisions
Chapter II - Construction, watertight integrity and equipment
Chapter III - Stability and associated seaworthiness
Chapter IV - Machinery and electrical installations and periodically unattended machinery spaces
Chapter V - Fire Protection, Fire Detection, Fire Extinction and Fire Fighting
Chapter VI - Protection of the crew
Chapter VII - Life-saving appliances and arrangements
Chapter VIII - Emergency procedures, musters and drills
Chapter IX - Radio communications
Chapter X - Shipborne navigational equipment and arrangements
Amendment Procedure
Regional standards
Fishing vessel safety code and voluntary guidelines

The 1977 Convention
The 1977 Convention, adopted at a conference held in Torremolinos, Spain, was the first-ever international Convention on the safety of fishing vessels.

The safety of fishing vessels had been a matter of concern to IMO since the Organization came into existence, but the great differences in design and operation between fishing vessels and other types of ships had always proved a major obstacle to their inclusion in the Conventions on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and Load Lines.

While other vessels load cargo in port, fishing vessels must sail empty and load their cargo at sea.

The 1977 Convention contained safety requirements for the construction and equipment of new, decked, seagoing fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over, including those vessels also processing their catch. Existing vessels were covered only in respect of radio requirements.

The Convention contained stability requirements for fishing vessels as well as Chapters concerning construction, watertight integrity and equipment; machinery and electrical installations and unattended machinery spaces; fire protection, detection, extinction, and fire fighting; protection of the crew; life?saving appliances; emergency procedures, musters and drills; radiotelegraphy and radiotelephony; and shipborne navigational equipment.

Revision of Convention
In the 1980s, it became clear that the 1977 Torremolinos Convention was unlikely to enter into force, largely for technical reasons, and IMO decided to prepare a replacement in the form of a Protocol

The 1993 Torremolinos Protocol
Adoption: 2 April 1993
Entry into force: One year after 15 States with at least an aggregate fleet of 14,000 vessels of 24 metres in length and over, have ratified the Protocol.
Status: see status of conventions

The Protocol updates, amends and absorbs the parent Convention, taking into account technological evolution in the intervening years and the need to take a pragmatic approach to encourage ratification of the instrument.

The Protocol applies to fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over including those vessels also processing their catch.

The Protocol takes into account the trend to exploit deep water fishing grounds on a large scale and to conduct fishing operations in distant waters, resulting in the building of a new generation of more sophisticated fishing vessels. To be successful in their operations, these vessels have to be fitted with advanced fishfinding and navigation equipment. Fishing vessels must also be equipped to carry out environment-friendly trawling, introduced to preserve fishing resources as well as the seabed.

The general trend in modern designed fishing vessels, if they are to be economically profitable, must include improvements in machinery and fishing gear, improvements in safety features as a whole and better working conditions for fishermen.

The safety provisions addressed by the Protocol, incorporating and amending the 1977 Convention, are included in an Annex consisting of ten Chapters. The provisions include automatically controlled machinery spaces, improved life-saving appliances, immersion suits and thermal protective aids, satellite communication systems and other components of the global maritime distress and safety system.

Chapter 1 - General Provisions
The regulations in the Annex apply to new vessels, built on or after date of entry into force of the Protocol.

Chapter II - Construction, watertight integrity and equipment
Includes technical specifications.

Chapter III - Stability and associated seaworthiness
Technical specifications including minimum stability criteria and regulations relating to specific operating conditions, severe wind and rolling, ice accretion and so on.

Chapter IV - Machinery and electrical installations and periodically unattended machinery spaces
Part A - General. States the Chapter applies to vessels 45 metres in length and over
Part B - Machinery Installations
Part C - Electrical Installations
Part D - Periodically unattended machinery spaces

Chapter V - Fire Protection, Fire Detection, Fire Extinction and Fire Fighting
Part A - General
Part B - Fire safety measures in vessels of 60 metres in length and over
Part C - Fire safety measures in vessels of 45 metres in length and over but less than 60 metres in length

Chapter VI - Protection of the crew
Includes technical specification relating to deck openings, bulwarks, rails and guards, stairways and ladders.

Chapter VII - Life-saving appliances and arrangements
Part A - General. States the Chapter applies to new vessels of 45 metres in length and over unless otherwise stated. Regulations 13 and 14 relating to radio life-saving appliances and radar transponders also apply to existing vessels of 45 metres in length and over from the date of entry into force of the Protocol.

Part B - Vessel requirements. Including number and type of survival and rescue boats, provision of lifejackets and so on.

Part C - Life-saving appliances requirements. Includes specifications for these appliances

Chapter VIII - Emergency procedures, musters and drills
Applies to new and existing vessels of 24 metres in length and over. Covers emergency alarm system, muster list and emergency instructions, and abandon ship training and drills.

Chapter IX - Radio communications
The Chapter includes requirements for vessels to be equipped for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and the Chapter mirrors regulations contained in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, Chapter IV.

Part A - Application and definitions. Applies to new and existing vessels of 45 metres in length and over.

Part B - Ship requirements. Includes requirements for radio installations on all vessels and on those sailing in specified sea areas.

Chapter X - Shipborne navigational equipment and arrangements
The Chapter applies to new and existing vessels and includes requirements for carriage of navigational equipment for vessels 24 metres in length and over, vessels of less than 24 metres in length and vessels of 45 metres in length and over.

Amendment Procedure
The Protocol (Article 11) allows for amendments to be adopted either by the Maritime Safety Committee of IMO or by a Conference of Parties to the Protocol.

Amendments enter into force on a specified date unless a required number of objections are received.

Regional standards
The Protocol applies to vessels over 24 metres in length, but certain Chapters are applicable to vessels of 45 metres in length and over.The Protocol, however, allows for Administrations to determine which particular regulations of these Chapters should apply to vessels of between 24 metres and 45 metres in length (Article 3 (4)).

To ensure uniform standards, the Protocol encourages Administrations to establish uniform regional standards to apply to fishing vessels operating in the same region, taking into account mode of operation, sheltered nature and climatic conditions in that region (Article 3 (5)).Regional agreements in operation include:

Guidelines for the safety of fishing vessels of 24 m and over but less than 45 m in length operating in the East and South-East Asia region, adopted at a Conference in Tokyo in February 1997

European regional agreement applicable from 1 January 1999. The European legislation introducing a harmonised safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over was adopted in December 1997 and is entirely based upon the 1993 Torremolinos Protocol.

Fishing vessel safety code and voluntary guidelines

IMO has developed, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), a number of non-mandatory instruments. These include the FAO/ILO/IMO Document for Guidance on Fishermen's Training and Certification and the revised Code of Safety for Fishermen and Fishing Vessels, 2005, and the Voluntary Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Equipment of Small Fishing Vessels, 2005.

The revised Fishing Vessel Safety Code and Voluntary Guidelines - originally developed and approved in the 1970s - have been developed for use primarily by competent authorities, training institutions, fishing vessel owners, fishermen's representative organizations and non-governmental organizations having a recognized role in fishermen's safety and health and training.
Part A of the Code provides guidance on the development of national codes and fishermen's education and training manuals and guidance on the safety and health of fishermen. Competent authorities will be encouraged to make use of the contents of the Code and the Voluntary Guidelines in the production of safety and health and training materials in an appropriate format to suit the particular needs of the fisheries of the country or region and in local languages.