Accommodation ladders and gangways - draft new SOLAS regulation agreed

A new draft SOLAS regulation on means of embarkation on and disembarkation from ships was agreed by the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) when it met for its 50th session. The aim is to ensure that there is a safe means of access to and egress from ships and that such means are inspected and maintained adequately to avoid accidents.

The draft regulation will require ships built its adoption and entry into force to be provided with means of embarkation on and disembarkation from ships, such as gangways and accommodation ladders. They should be constructed, installed, maintained and surveyed based on the future IMO Guidelines for construction, maintenance and inspection of accommodation ladders and gangways, a draft of which was also agreed by the Sub-Committee.

The draft regulation and guidelines will be submitted to the Maritime Safety Committee at its 83rd session in October 2007 (MSC 83) for approval in principle, with a view to final approval and adoption at MSC 84.

Emergency towing arrangements - draft amended SOLAS regulation agreed

The Sub-Committee agreed proposed draft amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-1, Regulation 3-4 - Emergency towing arrangements on tankers, to extend the regulation to ships other than tankers.

The proposed amendments would change the title of the regulation to Emergency towing arrangements and procedures; retain the requirements for tankers, which require emergency towing arrangements to be fitted at both ends on board every tanker of not less than 20,000 tonnes deadweight; and include a new paragraph 2 on Emergency towing procedures on ships, to require all ships to be provided with an emergency towing procedure.

The emergency towing procedure would be carried aboard the ship for use in emergency situations and be based on existing arrangements and equipment available on board, and would include drawings of fore and aft decks showing possible emergency towing arrangements; an inventory of equipment on board that can be used for emergency towing; means and methods of communication; and sample procedures to facilitate the preparation for, and conduct of emergency towing operations.

The proposed new paragraph would apply to all passenger ships, new cargo ships and existing cargo ships under a phase-in schedule.

The proposed amended regulation will be submitted to MSC 83 for approval, with a view to adoption at MSC 84, along with an associated draft MSC circular on Guidelines for owners/operators on emergency towing procedures.

Amendments to ESP Guidelines, concerning double-side skin bulk carriers agreed

Amendments to the Enhanced Survey Programme (ESP) for bulk carriers and oil tankers (resolution A.744(18)), to include a new Part B of Annex A Guidelines on the enhanced programme of inspections during surveys of bulk carriers having double-side skin construction, were agreed by the Sub-Committee.

The amendments, which incorporate a section on procedural requirements for thickness measurements, will be submitted to MSC 83 for approval, with a view to adoption at MSC 84.

The Sub-Committee also agreed to recommend to the MSC that it carry out a review of the ESP Guidelines, in order to harmonize them with the relevant IACS Unified Requirements (UR Z.10 series)).

Performance standard for protective coatings for void spaces

A draft performance standard for protective coatings for void spaces on bulk carriers and oil tankers was finalized, for submission to MSC 83 for adoption.

It was agreed that experience gained in the application of the standard would be needed before the Sub-Committee could address the issues of making the standard mandatory, and before discussion on developing a coating standard for void spaces on other types of ships.

A Performance standard for protective coatings of dedicated seawater ballast tanks in all new ships and double-side skin spaces of bulk carriers was adopted at MSC 82 in December 2006, along with an amendment to SOLAS to make it mandatory.

Measures to prevent accidents with lifeboats

The Sub Committee considered measures to prevent accidents with lifeboats and agreed that MSC.1/Circ.1206 Measures to prevent accidents with lifeboats should become mandatory, by 2010 at the latest. MSC.1/Circ.1206 incorporates Guidelines for periodic servicing and maintenance of lifeboats, launching appliances and on-load release gear; Guidance on safety during abandon-ship drills using lifeboats; and Guidelines for simulated launching of free-fall lifeboats.

In the meantime, the Correspondence Group on Life-Saving Appliances was instructed to develop guidance for qualification and certification of personnel or organizations carrying out servicing and maintenance of lifeboats, launching appliances and on-load release gear.

The Correspondence Group was also tasked with developing amendments to the Life-Saving Appliances (LSA) Code and the Revised recommendation on testing of life saving appliances concerning the design criteria for free-fall lifeboat seats and seating space and lifeboat release gear.

The LSA Correspondence Group will also consider proposed amendments to various IMO instruments concerning test standards for extended service intervals of inflatable liferafts.

Compatibility of life-saving appliances

The Sub Committee instructed the LSA Correspondence Group to prepare amendments to the LSA Code and the Revised recommendation on testing of life saving appliances, to take into account the increasing weight and size of seafarers globally; as well as to prepare guidance concerning the wearing of immersion suits in totally enclosed lifeboats.

It was acknowledged that larger size individuals could cause problems for the operation of life-saving appliances, in particular with regard to immersion suits. Also, the wearing of immersion suits in conjunction with lifejackets in enclosed lifeboats could cause problems due to overheating, hence the need for guidance/amendments.

Arrangements for remotely located survival craft - draft UI agreed

A draft MSC circular on Unified interpretation of SOLAS chapter III, concerning arrangements for remotely located survival craft was prepared, for submission to MSC 83 for approval. Remotely located liferafts are those located at the aft/forward end of the ship and at a distance more than 100 m from the closest survival craft.

Symbols related to life-saving appliances and arrangements

Work on the revision of resolution A.760(18), on Symbols related to life-saving appliances and arrangements, commenced during the session. The revision is intended to take into account the new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard on shipboard signs (24409), currently under development.

A draft MSC circular on Symbol of infant lifejacket was agreed, for submission to MSC 83 for approval.

Extension of Guidelines for ships operating in Arctic ice-covered waters to the Antarctic

The Sub-Committee began work on developing amendments to the Guidelines for ships operating in Arctic ice-covered waters, to make them applicable to ships operating in the Antarctic Treaty Area.

In addition to the inclusion of provisions relating to the operation of ships in the Antarctic region, it was agreed that the Guidelines needed to be generally updated in order to take into account technical developments since their approval in 2002, especially with regard to damage stability, double bottoms and the carriage of pollutants in spaces adjacent to the outer hull. The update should also consider the particularities of the Southern hemisphere with regard to environmental and port State control issues and should take account of the IACS Unified Requirements for polar ships and the Finnish ice navigation rules.

The Sub-Committee noted the view that special consideration should be given to passenger ships that only visit the Polar regions in summer.

Review of SPS Code

The review of the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships (SPS Code) continued during the session and a correspondence group was established to further the work intersessionally. The original SPS Code was adopted in 1983.

Review of MODU Code

Work on developing draft amendments to the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU Code), to bring it up to date and into line with relevant requirements in SOLAS, also continued with a correspondence group established to further the work.

Other issues

The Sub-Committee also began work on the review of MEPC.1/Circ.511 Revised guidelines for systems for handling oily wastes in machinery spaces of ships incorporating guidance notes for an integrated bilge water treatment system (IBTS), and relevant MARPOL requirements, concerning legislative and implementation aspects related to prevention of operational oil pollution from ships; and began development of the following:

• guidelines for uniform operating limitations of high-speed craft;
• guidelines for maintenance and repair of protective coatings;
• requirements and standard for corrosion protection of means of access arrangements;
• performance standards for recovery systems; and
• guidelines for the approval of novel life-saving appliances.

Celebrating the 50th session

In welcoming the participants on behalf of the Secretary-General, Mr. Koji Sekimizu, Director, Maritime Safety Division, paid tribute to the Sub-Committee's achievements as it marked its fiftieth session.

Mr. Sekimizu noted that, since the Sub-Committee's first session, held more than 39 years ago, there had been many advances in the field of ship design and construction and that the seafarers that sailed the oceans today had at their disposal a host of new technologies, which their predecessors could only have dreamt of.

Numerous instruments, guidelines and recommendations, mandatory and non mandatory, had been developed to ensure that the design, construction, structure, equipment, machinery and electrical installations of ships and other marine structures were up to the task, significantly contributing to the enhancement of safety and security at sea and the protection of the marine environment.