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laying down technical requirements for inland waterway vessels and repealing Council Directive 82/714/EEC (2006/87/EC) (repealed)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 15.15 Derogations for certain passenger vessels

1. As an alternative to proving adequate stability after damage according to Article 15.03(7) to (13), passenger vessels with a length of not more than 25 m and authorised to carry up to a maximum of 50 passengers shall comply with the following criteria:

(a) after symmetrical flooding, the immersion of the vessel shall not exceed the margin line; and

(b) the metacentric height GM_R shall not be less than 0,10 m.

The necessary residual buoyancy shall be assured through the appropriate choice of material used for the construction of the hull or by means of highly cellular foam floats, solidly attached to the hull. In the case of vessels with a length of more than 15 m, residual buoyancy can be ensured by a combination of floats and subdivision complying with the 1-compartment status according to in Article 15.03.

2. For passenger vessels in accordance with paragraph1 the inspection body may permit minor derogations from the clear height required in Article 15.06(3)(c) and paragraph 5(b). The derogation shall not be more than 5 %. In the case of derogations the relevant parts shall be indicated by colour.

3. By way of derogation from Article 15.03(9), passenger vessels not exceeding 45 m in length and authorised to carry up to a maximum of 250 passengers do not need to have two-compartment status.

4. (Left void)

5. The inspection body may waive the application of Article 10.04 in the case of passenger vessels authorised to carry up to a maximum of 250 passengers and with a length of not more than 25 m, provided they are equipped with a platform, accessible from each side of the vessel, directly above the waterline, so as to enable persons to be recovered safely from the water. Passenger vessels may be equipped with a comparable installation, subject to the following conditions:

(a) one person alone shall be able to operate the installation;

(b) mobile installations are allowed;

(c) the installations shall be outside the danger area of the propulsion systems; and

(d) effective communication shall be possible between the boatmaster and the person in charge of the installation.

6. The inspection body may waive the application of Article 10.04 in the case of passenger vessels authorised to carry up to a maximum of 600 passengers and with a length of not more than 45 m, provided they are equipped with a platform according to paragraph 5, first sentence, or with an equivalent installation according to paragraph 5, second sentence. In addition, the passenger vessel shall have:

(a) a rudder propeller, a cycloidal propeller or a water jet as main propulsion, or

(b) a main propulsion system with two propulsion units, or

(c) a main propulsion system and a bow-thruster.

7. By way of derogation from Article 15.02(9), passenger vessels not exceeding 45 m in length and authorised to carry at most a number of passengers corresponding to the length of the vessel in metres are allowed to have on board, in the passenger area, a manually controlled bulkhead door without remote control according to Article 15.02(5), if:

(a) the vessel has only one deck;

(b) this door is accessible directly from the deck and is not more than 10 m away from the deck;

(c) the lower edge of the door opening lies at least 30 cm above the floor of the passenger area, and

(d) each of the compartments divided by the door is fitted with a bilge level alarm.

8. On passenger vessels in accordance with paragraph 7, by way of derogation from Article 15.06(6)(c), one escape route may lead through a galley, as long as there is a second escape route available.

9. For passenger vessels with a length not exceeding 45 m the following shall not apply: Article 15.01( 2)(e), when the liquefied gas installations are fitted with appropriate alarm systems for CO concentrations posing a health risk and for potentially explosive mixtures of gas and air.

10. The following provisions shall not apply to passenger vessels not exceeding 25 m in length:

(a) Article 15.04(1), last sentence;

(b) Article 15.06(6)(c), for the galleys, as long as a second escape route is available;

(c) Article 15.07.

11. For cabin vessels not exceeding 45 m in length, Article 15.12(10), shall not apply, provided smoke-hoods in a number corresponding to the number of berths are readily accessible in each cabin.