Regulation 10

Sleeping rooms shall be situated above load line amidships or aft.

In exceptional cases, the Director may, if the size, type or intended service of the ship render any other location unreasonable or impracticable, permit the location of sleeping rooms in the fore part of the ship, but in no case forward of the collision bulkhead.

In passenger ships and new MLC ships which are special purpose ships, the Director may, on condition that satisfactory arrangements are made for lighting and ventilation, permit the location of sleeping rooms below the load line, but in no case immediately beneath working alley-ways.

In a ship other than a new MLC ship, the floor area per person of sleeping rooms intended for ratings shall be not less than —

In the case of ships other than new MLC ships in which are employed such groups of ratings as necessitate the employment of a substantially larger number of ratings than would otherwise be employed, the Director may, in respect of such groups, reduce the minimum floor area of sleeping rooms per person, subject to the conditions that —

In new MLC ships, the floor area of single berth sleeping rooms shall not be less than —

Where the Director is satisfied that it is necessary in order to provide single berth sleeping rooms on new MLC ships of less than 3,000 tons, or new MLC ships which are passenger ships or special purpose ships, the Director may allow a reduced minimum floor area for single berth sleeping rooms in such ships.

In the case of a new MLC ship of less than 3,000 tons, other than a passenger ship or special purpose ship, the minimum floor area for double berth sleeping rooms shall be 7 m2.

In a new MLC ship which is a passenger ship or special purpose ship, the floor area of sleeping rooms intended for ratings shall not be less than —

In a new MLC ship which is a passenger ship, the floor area of sleeping rooms intended for ratings shall not be less than 3.6 m2 per person in a room occupied by more than 4 persons.

In new MLC ships, the master, chief engineer and chief navigating officer, and when practicable, the second engineer officer, shall be provided with, in addition to their sleeping rooms, an adjoining sitting room, day room or any additional space which may be used for the same purposes.

The Director may exempt new MLC ships of less than 3,000 tons from paragraph (5F).

When it is not possible to provide private sitting rooms or day rooms for the master or officers —

Space occupied by berths and lockers, chests of drawers and seats shall be included in the measurement of the floor area. Small or irregularly shaped spaces which do not add effectively to the space available for free movement and cannot be used for installing furniture shall be excluded.

The clear head room in crew sleeping rooms of ships other than new MLC ships shall not be less than 1.90 m.

The clear head room in crew sleeping rooms of new MLC ships shall not be less than 2.03 m.

Except in ships of less than 800 tons, there shall be a sufficient number of sleeping rooms to provide a separate room or rooms for each department.

The number of persons allowed to occupy sleeping rooms of ships other than new MLC ships which are not passenger ships shall not exceed the following maxima: (a)officers in charge of a department, navigating and engineer officers in charge of a watch and senior radio officers or operators — one person per room; (b)other officers — one person per room wherever possible, and in no case more than 2; (c)petty officers — one or 2 persons per room, and in no case more than 2; (d)other ratings — 2 or 3 persons per room wherever possible, and in no case more than 4.

Subject to paragraph (9B), the number of persons allowed to occupy sleeping rooms of new MLC ships, which are not passenger ships, shall not exceed one person per room.

The Director may exempt new MLC ships, of less than 3,000 tons or which are special purpose ships, from paragraph (9A) except that the number of persons that may be permitted to occupy sleeping rooms shall not exceed the following maximum number of persons: (a)for officers in charge of a department, navigating and engineer officers in charge of a watch and senior radio officers or operators — one person per room;

With a view to ensuring adequate and more comfortable accommodation, the Director may grant permission to accommodate up to 10 ratings per sleeping room in the case of certain passenger ships.

The maximum number of persons to be accommodated in any sleeping room shall be indelibly and legibly marked in some place in the room where it can conveniently be seen.

Members of the crew shall be provided with individual berths.

Berths shall not be placed side by side in such a way that access to one berth can be obtained only over another.

Berths shall not be arranged in tiers of more than 2. In the case of berths placed along the ship's side, there shall be only a single tier where a sidelight is situated above a berth.

The lower berth in a double tier shall be not less than 30 cm above the floor. The upper berth shall be placed approximately midway between the bottom of the lower berth and the lower side of the deckhead beams.

The minimum inside dimensions of a berth in a ship other than a new MLC ship shall be 1.90 m by 0.68 m and the minimum inside dimensions of a berth in a new MLC ship shall be 1.98 m by 0.8 m.

The framework and the lee-board, if any, of a berth shall be of approved material, hard, smooth, and not likely to corrode or to harbour vermin.

If tubular frames are used for the construction of berths, they shall be completely sealed and without perforations which would give access to vermin.

Each berth shall be fitted with a spring bottom or a spring mattress and with a mattress of approved material. Stuffing of straw or other material likely to harbour vermin shall not be used.

When one berth is placed over another, a dust-proof bottom of wood, canvas or other approved material shall be fitted beneath the spring bottom of the upper berth.

Sleeping rooms shall be so planned and equipped as to ensure reasonable comfort for the occupants and to facilitate tidiness, and in new MLC ships shall as far as practicable be attached to private sanitary facilities.

The furniture shall include a clothes locker for each occupant. The clothes lockers shall be not less than 1.52 m in height and of a cross-section area of 0.193 m2 and shall be fitted with a shelf and a locking means, except that in a new MLC ship the clothes locker shall have a minimum volume of 0.475 m3.

Each sleeping room shall be provided with a table or desk, which may be of the fixed, dropleaf or slide-out type, and with comfortable seating accommodation as necessary.

The furniture shall be of smooth, hard material not liable to warp or corrode.

The drawer or equivalent space for each occupant shall be not less than 0.056 m3.

In new MLC ships, the drawer or equivalent space for each occupant shall —

Sleeping rooms shall be fitted with curtains for the side-lights.

Sleeping rooms shall be fitted with a mirror, small cabinets for toilet requisites, a book rack and a sufficient number of coat hooks.

As far as practicable, berthing of crew members shall be so arranged that watches are separated and that no day men share a room with watch-keepers.

In new MLC ships, sleeping rooms for male crew shall be separated from sleeping rooms for female crew.