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laying down technical requirements for inland waterway vessels and repealing Council Directive 82/714/EEC (2006/87/EC) (repealed)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 15.09 Life-saving equipment

1. In addition to the lifebuoys specified in Article 10.05(1), all parts of the deck intended for passengers and not enclosed shall be equipped with lifebuoys in accordance with the European standard EN 14144: 2003 on both sides of the vessel, positioned not more than 20 m apart.

Half of all the prescribed lifebuoys shall be fitted with a buoyant cord at least 30 m long with a diameter of 8 to 11 mm. The other half of the prescribed lifebuoys shall be fitted with a self-igniting, battery-powered light which will not be extinguished in water.

2. In addition to the lifebuoys referred to in paragraph 1, the following equipment shall be available and ready for use:

(a) individual life-saving equipment according to Article 10.05(2), for shipboard personnel responsible for undertaking duties according to the safety rota;

(b) individual life-saving equipment according to European standard EN 395: 1998 or EN 396: 1998 for other shipboard personnel.

3. Passenger vessels shall have appropriate equipment to enable persons to be transferred safely to shallow water, to the bank or to another craft.

4. In addition to the life-saving equipment referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, individual life-saving equipment according to European standard EN 395: 1998 or EN 396: 1998 shall be available for 100 % of the maximum permitted number of passengers.

Where individual life-saving equipment as referred to in the first paragraph is not also suitable for children, individual life-saving equipment according to European standard EN 395: 1998 for children weighing not more than 30 kg shall be available for 10 % of the maximum number of permitted passengers.

5. The term ‘collective life-saving equipment’ covers ship's boats according to Article 10.04, and life rafts.

Life rafts shall:

(a) bear a notice indicating their purpose and the number of persons for whom they are approved;

(b) offer adequate seating space for the permitted number of persons;

(c) provide a buoyancy of at least 750 N per person in fresh water;

(d) be provided with a rope linked to the passenger vessel to prevent them drifting away;

(e) be made of suitable materials and be resistant to oil, oil products and temperatures up to 50 °C;

(f) assume and maintain a stable trim and, in this respect, be fitted with appropriate devices enabling them to be grabbed by the indicated number of persons;

(g) be fluorescent orange in colour or have fluorescent surfaces, visible from all sides, of at least 100 cm²;

(h) be such that they can be released from their stowed position and put overboard quickly and safely by one person, or can float free from their stowed position;

(i) be provided with appropriate means of evacuation from the evacuation areas referred to in Article 15.06(8), onto the life rafts if the vertical distance between the deck of the evacuation areas and the plane of maximum draught is greater than 1 m.

6. Additional collective life-saving appliances are items of life-saving equipment which ensure the buoyancy of several persons in the water. These shall:

(a) bear a notice indicating their purpose and the number of persons for whom they are approved;

(b) provide a buoyancy of at least 100 N per person in fresh water;

(c) be made of suitable materials and be resistant to oil, oil products and to temperatures of up to 50 °C;

(d) assume and maintain a stable trim and, in this respect, be fitted with appropriate devices enabling them to be grabbed by the indicated number of persons;

(e) be fluorescent orange in colour or have fluorescent surfaces, visible from all sides, of at least 100 cm²;

(f) be such that they can be released from their stowed position and put overboard quickly and safely by one person, or can float free from their stowed position.

7. Inflatable collective life-saving appliances shall in addition:

(a) comprise at least two separate air compartments;

(b) inflate automatically or by manual command when launched;

(c) assume and maintain a stable trim irrespective of the load to be supported, even when only half the air compartments are inflated.

8. The life-saving appliances shall be stowed on board in such a way that they can be reached easily and safely when required. Concealed storage places shall be clearly marked.

9. Life-saving equipment shall be checked according to the manufacturer's instructions.

10. The ship's boat shall be equipped with an engine and a searchlight.

11. A suitable stretcher shall be available.