Merchant Shipping (Special Limits Passenger Ships) Safety Regulations

Unless otherwise provided, these Regulations shall apply to a ship which plies —

These Regulations shall not apply to (a)any Government vessel which is not used for commercial services; and

For the purposes of paragraph (2)(b), a ship is not engaged in trade if —

A ship shall carry a lifejacket for each person it is certified to carry.

In addition to the lifejackets required in paragraph (1), the ship shall carry extra lifejackets equal in number to 5% of the total number of persons which the ship is certified to carry.

These lifejackets shall be stowed in a conspicuous place and shall be readily accessible.

A ship which plies within the port limit shall carry such number of liferafts or approved buoyant apparatus as shall be sufficient to accommodate 40% of the total number of persons the ship is certified to carry.

A ship which plies within the port limit and carrying fewer than 150 passengers shall carry a minimum of 4 lifebuoys. A ship which carries 150 or more passengers shall be provided with 8 lifebuoys. At least two of the lifebuoys shall each be fitted with a line of at least 27.5 metres in length and a self-igniting light.

A ship which plies beyond the port limit shall carry such number of liferafts as shall be sufficient to accomodate all that number of persons the ship is certified to carry.

A ship which proceeds beyond the port limit shall carry a minimum of 8 lifebuoys, two of which shall each be fitted with a line of at least 27.5 metres in length and a self-igniting light.

This regulation shall apply to a ship which is 24 metres or more in length.

The ship shall have at least one power fire pump, sufficient fire hydrants, hoses and nozzles which are capable of delivering a powerful jet of water to reach any part of the ship. The capacity of the pump shall not be less than 11 cubic metres per hour.

In addition to the fire pump in paragraph (2), the ship shall have another fire pump, which may be operated manually and shall be permanently connected to a fire main. This additional pump, or its source of power, shall not be situated in the same compartment as the pump referred to in paragraph (2). The additional fire pump shall be provided with a permanent sea connection situated outside the machinery space. Such a pump shall be capable of delivering at least one powerful jet of water from a fire hydrant, hose and nozzle in the ship. The capacity of the pump shall not be less than 5.5 cubic metres per hour.

There shall be a spray nozzle in every machinery space.

The ship shall have at least one portable fire extinguisher in each space for the carriage or accommodation of passengers for every 50 passengers or less which it is certified to carry. There shall be at least one portable fire-extinguisher each in the galley, wheel-house, radioroom, storeroom and any space for use by the crew.

Every space in the ship containing internal combustion type of propelling machinery shall have —

This regulation shall apply to a ship which is less than 24 metres in length.

The ship shall have —

The ship shall have at least two fire buckets with lanyards.

A ship shall have means for stopping ventilating fans serving machinery spaces and for closing all doorways, vents, spaces around funnels and other openings to such spaces. These means shall be operable from a position outside such spaces in the event of a fire.

Machinery driving forced and induced draught fans, oil fuel transfer pumps, oil fuel unit pumps and other similar fuel pumps shall be fitted with remote controls situated outside the space in which they are located so that they may be stopped in the event of a fire in the space.

An oil fuel suction pipe from a storage, settling or daily service tank shall be fitted with a cock or valve which can be closed from outside the space in which such tanks are situated in the event of a fire in the space.

An application for survey of a ship shall be accompanied by such plans, calculations and any other information on the ship as the Director may require.

The plans shall contain such information as is necessary for full consideration of the strength of the ship and also proposals for complying with these Regulations.

A ship shall be subject to the following surveys:

the surveys referred to in paragraph (1) shall be carried out as follows:

After a survey of a ship under regulation 8 a 30-Mile Limit Passenger Ship Safety Certificate or a Port Limit Passenger Ship Safety Certificate shall be issued if the ship complies with the relevant regulations.

When a ship is exempted from any of these Regulations an Exemption Certificate shall be issued in addition to the certificate issued under paragraph (1).

Subject to paragraph (2), a certificate issued under regulation 10 shall be valid for a period not exceeding 12 months.

The Director may extend the period of validity of a certificate issued under regulation 10 for a period not exceeding one month.

Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), an Exemption Certificate of a ship shall not be valid for a period longer than the validity of its Safety Certificate.

The Director may cancel a certificate issued under regulation 10 if he has reason to believe that since the survey, the hull, equipment or machinery of the ship has sustained damage or the ship has not complied with these Regulations.

The owner and the master of a ship to which these Regulations apply shall —

Any owner or master who contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 and the ship may be detained.

Permanent awnings or structures and side curtains shall be fitted for the protection of passengers accommodated on every deck of a ship against inclement weather.

A ship shall be provided with sufficient seats to accommodate all the passengers which it is certified to carry.

The seating arrangement shall be such as not to impede emergency exits.

An oil fuel space shall be separated from any enclosed space used for the carriage or accommodation of passengers by gastight partitions to the satisfaction of the Director.

An open or partially decked ship shall not be certified to carry more than 150 passengers.

Any space for the use of passengers on board a ship shall be adequately ventilated.

Full details of the arrangements, with drawings of the system of ventilation, shall be submitted to the Director for approval.

Each compartment shall preferably be ventilated independently of any other compartment.

All entrances to passenger compartments on a ship shall be equal in width to the ladders or stairways leading to the passenger compartments.

All entrances to the ship are to be fitted with steady handrails, or its equivalent.

Over each of the hatchways leading to passenger compartments there shall be a booby hatch or other substantial covering of such character as shall provide as much light and air and protection from the weather as possible.

A ladder of stairway shall not be less than 0.75 metre in width. There shall be at least 1.80 metres clear space in a vertical direction above each step.

Where the vertical height of the ladder or stairway exceeds 0.50 metre, steady handrails shall be fitted on each side.

Ladders or stairways shall, as far as possible, be pitched fore and aft and shall not be too steep, the angle from the vertical being as near 37 degrees as the arrangements of the ship will permit. All ladders are to be lined on the back. The depth of every step shall not be less than 0.20 metre.

Aisles shall not be less than 0.75 metre in width.

Every seat shall have a depth of not less than 0.38 metre, a breadth of 0.45 metre and legroom of 0.40 metre. A backrest shall be provided for every seat.

A ship shall carry one water closet and washing place for each 100 passengers or fewer the ship is certified to carry.

Each washing place may be part of the water closet.

The ship shall carry sufficient fresh water for washing purposes.

A ship normally operating on short runs of 20 minutes or less need not be fitted with closets or wash basins provided toilet facilities are available at embarkation and disembarkation points.

The ship shall satisfy the following minimum stability criteria unless the Director is satisfied that the area in which the ship operates justifies departure therefrom:

Where arrangements other than bilge keels are provided to limit the angles of roll, the Director shall be satisfied that the stability referred to in paragraph (b) is maintained in all operating conditions.

Where ballast is provided to ensure compliance with paragraph (b), its nature and arrangement shall be to the satisfaction of the Director.

In the case of a new ship which is less than 24 metres in length a stability test shall be conducted with weights to represent the fully laden service condition. The weight of each passenger shall be taken as 65 kilogrammes. In the test the heel of the ship caused by a heeling moment equal to the weight of the passengers multiplied by the extreme breadth of the ship, shall not be more than 7 degrees. A copy of the results of the stability test shall be submitted to the Director.

Where an alteration is made to a ship so as to materially affect its stability, amended or new stability information shall be submitted to the Director.

The Director may allow the inclining test of a ship to be dispensed with where —

The floodable length at any point of the length of a ship shall be determined by a method of calculation which takes into consideration the form, draught and other characteristics of the ship.

Where a ship has a continuous bulkhead deck, the floodable length at a given point is the maximum portion of the length of the ship, having its centre at the point, which can be flooded under the definite assumptions set forth in regulation 28 without the ship being submerged beyond the margin line.

Where a portion of an assumed margin line is appreciably below the deck to which bulkheads are carried, the Director may permit a limited relaxation in the watertightness of those portions of the bulkheads which are above the margin line and immediately under the higher deck.

The definite assumptions referred to in regulation 27 relate to the permeabilities of the spaces below the margin line.

In determining the floodable length, the average permeability below the margin line —

A main transverse bulkhead may be recessed or stepped where additional subdivision is provided in way of the recess or step to maintain the same measure of safety as that secured by a plane bulkhead.

Where a main transverse bulkhead is recessed or stepped, an equivalent plane bulkhead shall be used in determining the subdivision.

Where a main transverse watertight compartment contains local subdivision and it can be shown to the satisfaction of the Director that, after any assumed side damage the whole volume of the main compartment will not be flooded, a proportionate allowance may be made in the permissible length otherwise required for such compartment. In such a case the volume of effective buoyancy assumed on the undamaged side shall not be greater than that assumed on the damaged side.

If the ship has a long forward superstructure, the forepeak bulkhead shall be extended weathertight to the deck next above the bulkhead deck. The extension need not be fitted directly over the bulkhead below, provided it is at least 5% of the length of the ship from the forward perpendicular, and the part of the bulkhead deck which forms the step is made effectively weathertight.

An afterpeak bulkhead, and bulkheads dividing the machinery space, referred to in regulation 26(h), from the cargo and passenger spaces forward and aft, shall also be fitted and made watertight up to the bulkhead deck. The afterpeak bulkhead may be stepped below the bulkhead deck, where the degree of safety of the ship as regards subdivisions is not thereby diminished.

In all cases stern tubes shall be enclosed in watertight spaces of moderate volume. The stern gland shall be situated in a watertight shaft tunnel or other watertight space separate from the stern tube compartment and of such volume that, if flooded by leakage through the stern gland, the margin line will not be submerged.

Fuel oil shall not be carried in the peak tanks.

Sufficient intact stability shall be provided in all service conditions so as to enable a ship to withstand the final stage of flooding of any one main compartment which is required to be within the floodable length.

In cases where the Director considers the range of stability in the damaged condition to be doubtful, he may require investigation thereof.

For the purpose of making damage stability calculations, the volume and surface permeabilities —

Asymmetrical flooding is to be kept to a minimum consistent with adequate and effective arrangements.

The final condition of the ship after damage and, in the case of asymmetrical flooding, after equalisation measures have been taken shall be as follows:

Collision bulkheads shall not be pierced below the margin line by more than one pipe. Any pipe which pierces the collision bulkhead shall be fitted with a screwdown valve capable of being operated from above the bulkhead deck, the valve chest being secured inside the forepeak.

Efficient means shall be provided for closing all openings in watertight bulkheads. Details of the means provided for closing these openings shall be submitted to the Director for approval.

All sidescuttles below the margin line shall be of the non-opening type.

Where a valve with positive means of closing is fitted, the operating position above the bulkhead deck shall always be readily accessible, and means shall be provided for indicating whether the valve is open or closed.

Main and auxiliary sea inlets and discharges in connection with machinery shall be fitted with readily accessible cocks or valves between the pipes and shell plating or between the pipes and fabricated boxes attached to the shell plating.

All cocks and valves for sea inlets and discharges below the bulkhead deck and all fittings outboard of such cocks and valves shall be made of steel, bronze or other approved ductile material. No ordinary cast iron or similar material shall be used.

All reasonable and practicable measures shall be taken to limit the entry and spread of water above the bulkhead deck. The sill of entrances to any underdeck space shall be at least 300 millimeters high.

The bulkhead deck or a deck above it shall be weathertight. All openings in the exposed weather deck shall have coamings of at least 300 millimeters high and of ample strength and shall be provided with efficient means for expeditiously closing them weathertight. Freeing ports, open rails and/or scuppers shall be fitted as necessary for clearing rapidly the weather deck of water under all weather conditions.

Means for closing openings in the shell plating above the margin line shall be of efficient design and construction and of sufficient strength having regard to the spaces in which they are fitted and their positions relative to the deepest subdivision load line.

Efficient inside deadlights, arranged so that they can be easily and effectively closed and secured watertight, shall be provided for all sidescuttles to spaces below the first deck above the bulkhead deck.

The subdivision load lines assigned and marked on a ship shall be distinguished by the notation C.1 for the principal passenger condition, and C.2, C.3, etc., for the alternative conditions.

A subdivision load line mark shall not in any case be placed above the deepest load line in salt water as determined by the strength of the ship.

The ship shall not in any case be so loaded that when it is in salt water the subdivision load line mark appropriate to the particular condition of service is submerged.

This regulation applies to a ship which carries not more than 150 passengers.

Efficient means shall be provided for preventing the accidental admission of water into the ship through any opening in each side of the ship.

Every sidescuttle fitted below deck shall be of the non-opening type with deadlights and shall be watertight and of sufficient strength having regard to its position in the ship.

A new ship shall be provided with a watertight collision bulkhead which shall be fitted not less than 5% and not more than 7% of the length of the ship from the forward perpendicular.

A ship shall be provided with a bilge pumping system so that water entering any part of the hull, other than a space permanently appropriated for the carriage of fresh water, water ballast, oil fuel or liquid cargo and for which other efficient means of pumping or drainage are provided, can be pumped out through at least one suction pipe when the ship is on even keel or is listed not more than 5 degrees either way. Efficient means shall be provided whereby water may easily flow to the suction pipes.

A new ship shall be provided with a bilge pumping system as set out below:

A power pump or its source of power shall not be installed forward of the collision bulkhead.

A hand bilge pump on the ship shall be workable from above the bulkhead deck.

Bilge suction pipes shall not be led through oil, fresh water tanks and double bottom tanks unless approved by the Director.

In a ship which carries more than 150 passengers the bilge and ballast pumping systems shall be so designed as to prevent water passing from the sea or from water ballast spaces into the cargo spaces or into the machinery space or from one watertight compartment to another. Provision shall be made to prevent the compartments served by any bilge suction pipes from being flooded when any other compartment is damaged.

Details and arrangements of cocks, valves, bilge pipes and boxes are to be approved by the Director.

The bilge pumping system for an existing ship shall be to the satisfaction of the Director.

The electrical equipment and installations of a ship shall be such that the ship and all persons on board are protected against electrical hazards.

A ship which carries more than 150 passengers shall have adequate means of providing emergency lighting at all escape accesses.

A ship shall have sufficient power for going astern.

The ability of the machinery to reverse the direction of thrust of the propellers shall be demonstrated at each survey.

A ship shall be provided with a main steering gear and an emergency steering gear to the satisfaction of the Director.

The main steering gear shall be of adequate strength and sufficient to steer the ship at the maximum service speed. It shall be capable of putting the rudder over from 35 degrees on one side to 35 degrees on the other side with the ship running ahead at maximum service speed. The rudder shall be capable of being put over from 35 degrees on either side to 30 degrees on the other side in not more than 28 seconds at maximum service speed.