Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 laying down technical requirements for inland waterway vessels and repealing Council Directive 82/714/EEC (2006/87/EC) (repealed)

Article 15.02 Vessels' hulls

1. In the course of the inspections referred to in Article 2.09, the thickness of the outside plating of steel passenger vessels shall be determined as follows:

(a) the minimum thickness t_min of the bottom, bilge and side plating of the outer hull of passenger vessels is determined in accordance with the larger value of the following formulae:

;

.

In these formulae:

f

=

1 + 0,0013 · (a — 500);

a

=

longitudinal or transverse frame spacing (mm), and where the frame spacing is less than 400 mm, a = 400 mm should be entered;

(b) it is permissible to fall short of the minimum value determined in accordance with (a) above for the plate thickness in cases where the permitted value has been determined and certified on the basis of a mathematical proof for the sufficient strength (longitudinal, transverse and local) of the vessel's hull;

(c) at no point of the outside plating shall the thickness calculated in accordance with (a) or (b) above be less than 3 mm;

(d) plate renewals shall be carried out when bottom, bilge or side plate thicknesses have fallen short of the minimum value determined in accordance with (a) or (b), in conjunction with (c) above.

2. The number and position of bulkheads shall be selected such that, in the event of flooding, the vessel remains buoyant according to Article 15.03(7) to (13). Every portion of the internal structure which affects the efficiency of the subdivision of such vessels shall be watertight, and shall be of a design which will maintain the integrity of the subdivision.

3. The distance between the collision bulkhead and the forward perpendicular shall be at least 0,04 L_WL and not more than 0,04 L_WL + 2 m.

4. A transverse bulkhead may be fitted with a bulkhead recess, if all parts of this offset lie within the safe area.

5. The bulkheads, which are taken into account in the damaged stability calculation according to Article 15.03(7) to (13), shall be watertight and be installed up to the bulkhead deck. Where there is no bulkhead deck, these bulkheads shall extend to a height at least 20 cm above the margin line.

6. The number of openings in these bulkheads shall be kept as low as is consistent with the type of construction and normal operation of the vessel. Openings and penetrations shall not have a detrimental effect on the watertight function of the bulkheads.

7. Collision bulkheads shall have no openings and no doors.

8. Bulkheads according to paragraph 5 separating the engine rooms from passenger areas or crew and shipboard personnel accommodation shall have no doors.

9. Manually operated doors without remote control in bulkheads referred to in paragraph 5, are permitted only in areas not accessible to passengers. They shall:

(a) remain closed at all times and be opened only temporarily to allow access;

(b) be fitted with suitable devices to enable them to be closed quickly and safely;

(c) display the following notice on both sides of the doors:

‘Close door immediately after passing through’.

10. Doors in bulkheads referred to inparagraph 5 that are open for long periods shall comply with the following requirements:

(a) They shall be capable of being closed from both sides of the bulkhead and from an easily accessible point above the bulkhead deck.

(b) After being closed by remote control the door shall be such that it can be opened again locally and closed safely. Closure shall not be impeded by carpeting, foot rails or other obstructions.

(c) The time taken for the remote-controlled closure process shall be at least 30 seconds but not more than 60 seconds.

(d) During the closure procedure an automatic acoustic alarm shall sound by the door.

(e) The door drive and alarm shall also be capable of operating independently of the on-board power supply. There shall be a device at the location of the remote control that displays whether the door is open or closed.

11. Doors in bulkheads referred to in paragraph 5, and their actuators shall be located in the safe area.

12. There shall be a warning system in the wheelhouse to indicate which of the doors in bulkheads referred to in paragraph 5 are open.

13. Open-ended piping and ventilation ducts shall be offset in such a way that, in any conceivable flooding, no additional spaces or tanks are flooded through them.

(a) If several compartments are openly connected by piping or ventilation ducts, such piping and ducts shall, in an appropriate place, be lead above the waterline corresponding to the worst possible flooding.

(b) Piping need not meet the requirement under (a) if shut-off devices are fitted in the piping where it passes through the bulkheads and which can be remotely controlled from a point above the bulkhead deck.

(c) Where a pipework system has no open outlet in a compartment, the pipework shall be regarded as intact in the event of this compartment being damaged, if it runs within the safe area and is more than 0,50 m from the bottom of the vessel.

14. Remote controls of bulkhead doors according to paragraph 10 and shut-off devices according to paragraph 13(b) above the bulkhead deck shall be clearly indicated as such.

15. Where double bottoms are fitted, their height shall be at least 0,60 m, and where wing voids are fitted, their width shall be at least 0,60 m.

16. Windows may be situated below the margin line if they are watertight, cannot be opened, possess sufficient strength and conform to Article 15.06(14).