Passenger ship safety - draft SOLAS amendments finalized
The Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines and on Fishing Vessels Safety (SLF) agreed, at its 49th session, modifications to the draft amendments to SOLAS chapters II-1 and II-2, relating to passenger ship safety, for adoption at MSC 82.

The draft regulations had been approved by MSC 81, subject to final modifications. Specific draft regulations revised include those relating to safe return to port after a casualty, and to water ingress detection and flood level monitoring systems.

The draft amendments are part of a package developed by IMO to improve passenger ship safety, based on the guiding philosophy of using the ship as its own best lifeboat. As an example, the proposed draft regulation II-1/8-1 requires a passenger ship to be designed to be capable of returning to port under its own power when subject to flooding of any single watertight compartment. It was agreed that MSC 82 should decide on the specific size of passenger ship (in terms of numbers of passengers carried) to which the regulation should be applied.

The Sub-Committee also agreed to the draft MSC circular on Performance standards for the systems and services to remain operational on passenger ships for safe return to port after a casualty and orderly evacuation and abandonment, for approval by the MSC.

Interim Explanatory Notes for the revised SOLAS chapter II-1 agreed
The Sub-Committee agreed to the Interim Explanatory Notes for the revised SOLAS chapter II-1 Construction - Subdivision and stability, machinery and electrical installations, which was adopted at MSC 80 and is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2009. The revised chapter harmonizes the provisions on subdivision and damage stability for passenger and cargo ships. The Interim Notes, which will be submitted to MSC 82 in November-December for approval, provide guidance for the industry in order to apply the revised chapter in a uniform and consistent manner.

Meanwhile, the Correspondence Group on subdivision and damage stability (SDS) was instructed to further develop the Explanatory Notes with a view to finalizing them by the entry-into-force date of the revised SOLAS chapter II-1.

Revision of the Intact Stability Code
Work on revising the Intact Stability Code (IS Code) continued during the session and the IS Correspondence Group was instructed to prepare the final texts with a view to agreement at SLF 50. The Correspondence Group will also prepare draft amendments to the 1988 Protocol relating to the 1966 International Convention on Load Lines (LL) and to the SOLAS Convention, to make the IS Code mandatory under both instruments. The aim is to gain the widest application of the mandatory criteria of the IS Code.

The IS Code was adopted in 1993 by resolution A.749 and later amended by the MSC in 1998. The revision of the IS Code involves restructuring it and, as long-term tasks, developing performance based stability criteria to replace, or add to, the existing prescriptive provisions. The trend towards goal- or performance-based standards is in line with the directions laid down in the Organization's Strategic Plan, allowing for technological developments and novel solutions, whilst still meeting the goal of providing the highest practicable standards.

Revision of guidance to master for avoiding dangerous situations
The Sub-Committee agreed to the draft revised Guidance to the master for avoiding dangerous situations in adverse weather and sea conditions, for submission to MSC 82 for approval. The guidance will replace the existing Guidance to the master for avoiding dangerous situations in following and quartering seas (MSC/Circ.707).

Safety of small fishing vessels
Work on developing safety standards for fishing vessels below 12 m in length continued during the session and a Correspondence Group was re-established to finalize draft safety recommendations and report to the next session.

A representative from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) informed the Sub-Committee that the fishing industry suffers in excess of 24,000 fatalities per year, the large majority of them occurring on small fishing vessels. As there are, currently, no international safety standards for decked fishing vessels of less than 12 m in length, nor undecked fishing vessels of any length, there was an urgent need to develop safety standards for such vessels. This has been duly recognized by IMO, hence the ongoing urgent work of the Sub-Committee.

Tonnage measurement of open-top containerships
The Sub-Committee agreed to a draft MSC resolution on Recommendations concerning tonnage measurement of open-top containerships, which includes a method to calculate a reduced gross tonnage of open-top containerships, for submission to MSC 82 for adoption. The calculation amends the provisional formulae for reduced gross tonnage for open-top containerships prescribed in TM.5/Circ.4, which was issued in 1993.

Harmonization of damage stability provisions in all IMO instruments
The Sub-Committee finalized its work to harmonize damage stability provisions in IMO instruments, taking into account the revised SOLAS chapter II-1, and agreed to draft editorial amendments to the International Code for the Safe Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, Plutonium and High-Level Radioactive Wastes on Board Ships (INF Code) and modifications to the footnote of the revised SOLAS chapter II-1 related to the 1966 LL Convention and the 1988 LL Protocol.

Revision of resolution A.266(VIII)
Work on developing a draft revised Recommendation on a standard method for establishing compliance with the requirements for cross-flooding arrangements in passenger ships (resolution A.266(VIII)) continued during the session. The SDS Correspondence Group was instructed to finalize the revised text for submission to the next SLF Sub-Committee session.

Review of the SPS Code
The Sub-Committee continued its work on revising the subdivision and damage stability requirements in the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships (SPS Code) and established a Correspondence Group to continue the work intersessionally. The SPS Code was adopted in 1983 (by resolution A.534(13)) and recommends design criteria, construction standards and other safety measures for special purpose ships.