The Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances for Passenger Ships of Classes III to VI (A)) Regulations 1992

PART III GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Approval and replacement of life-saving appliances

10.—(1) Life-saving appliances and arrangements required by these Regulations shall be of a type which has been approved by the Secretary of State.

(2) Any such approval given pursuant to these Regulations shall be given in writing and shall specify the conditions (if any) on which it is given.

(3) Any item of life-saving equipment marked with an expiry date shall be replaced on or before that date.

Operational readiness, maintenance, inspections and servicing

11.—(1) All life-saving appliances shall be in working order and ready for immediate use before any ship to which these Regulations apply commences a voyage and at all times during the voyage.

(2) Maintenance of life-saving appliances shall be carried out in accordance with the instructions for on-board maintenance set out in, or in accordance with, a shipboard planned maintenance programme which includes the requirements of Part II of Schedule 11.

(3) Falls used in launching shall be turned end for end at intervals of not more than 30 months and be renewed when necessary due to deterioration of the falls or at intervals of not more than 5 years, whicher is the earlier. Stainless steel falls shall be turned end for end at intervals of not more than 30 months but need not be renewed provided that on inspection there are no signs of mechanical damage or other possible defects.

(4) The following tests and inspections shall be carried out weekly:

(a) all survival craft, rescue or inflated boats and launching appliances shall be visually inspected to ensure that they are ready for use;

(b) the engine in the lifeboat, rescue boat or inflated boat shall be run ahead and astern in accordance with the requirements specified in Part I of Schedule 1; Parts I, II and III of Schedule 2 and Schedule 3; and

(c) where fitted, the general emergency alarm system shall be tested.

(5) Inspection of the life-saving appliances, including lifeboat equipment, shall be carried out monthly in accordance with the instructions, requirements and check list referred to in Part II of Schedule 11.

(6) Where fitted, liferaft automatic release hooks shall be serviced at intervals not exceeding 30 months and shall be proof tested to 100% safe working load at intervals not exceeding 5 years. Lifeboat and rescue boat release gears shall be overhauled at intervals not exceeding 5 years. At least once every 5 years rescue boats shall be turned out and lowered when loaded with weights to simulate their full safe working load.

(7) Every inflated or rigid inflated rescue boat, liferaft, open reversible liferaft, inflatable lifejacket and hydrostatic release unit shall be serviced at a service station approved by the Secretary of State at intervals not exceeding 12 months, except in the case of hydrostatic release units which have been approved for a service life of 2 years.

Operating instructions for launching lifeboats, liferafts and open reversible liferafts

12.  Posters and signs provided on or in the vicinity of lifeboats, liferafts, open reversible liferafts or their launching arrangements where applicable shall illustrate the purpose of the controls and procedures for launching and bowsing-in the lifeboats and liferafts.

Liferaft and open reversible liferaft embarkation arrangements

13.  Where the distance between the embarkation deck and the top of a liferaft buoyancy tube exceeds 1 metre when the ship is in the lightest seagoing condition a three string embarkation ladder shall be provided at each liferaft boarding station. Where such distance exceeds 4.5 metres at least one launching appliance or a marine escape system chute and boarding platform shall be provided on each side of the ship.

Stowage of liferafts, open reversible liferafts, lifeboats, rescue boats and inflated boats

14.—(1) Each liferaft shall be stowed so that it can be released from one position on the ship or alternatively that all the liferafts on one side of the ship can be released from one position on the respective side. Such position or positions shall be in or adjacent to the position from which the ship is steered. The stowage and release arrangements shall be such that each raft is automatically inflated on reaching the water. The liferafts shall be suitably stowed in order that they will not interfere with the launching of lifeboats, rescue boats or other liferafts including bowsing-in arrangements.

(2) Liferafts shall be stowed, as far as practicable, in a secure and sheltered position.

(3) Every liferaft shall be stowed with its painter permanently attached to the ship and with a float-free arrangement so that the liferaft floats free and inflates automatically if the ship sinks. Every liferaft shall also be so stowed that it can be manually released from its securing arrangements. Notwithstanding the performance requirements in paragraph 3.3.3 of Part VI of Schedule 4 the float-free arrangement shall be capable of being activated in the depths of water in which the ship operates. Where the depth of water is restricted alternative arrangements may be fitted for this float-free capability.

(4) Lifeboats, rescue and inflated boats shall be stowed:

(a) in a state of continuous readiness for launching;

(b) in a position suitable for launching and recovery; and

(c) so that neither the lifeboats, rescue boat or inflated boat nor its stowage arrangements will interfere with the operation of any liferaft or open reversible liferaft at any other launching station.

Launching stations

15.—(1) Launching stations shall be in such positions as to ensure safe launching having particular regard to the clearance from the propeller and steeply overhanging portions of the hull with the object of ensuring that, so far as practicable, lifeboats and liferafts can be launched down the straight side of the ship. If positioned forward survival craft shall be stowed abaft the collision bulkhead in a sheltered position.

(2) Handling of lifeboats or liferafts at any one launching station shall not interfere with the handling of lifeboats or liferafts at another launching station.

(3) Means shall be available to prevent any discharge of water on to lifeboats and liferafts during abandonment of the ship.

Rescue and inflated boat embarkation, launching and recovery arrangements

16.—(1) Embarkation and launching arrangements shall be such that the rescue or inflated boat can be boarded and launched in the shortest possible time.

(2) Each rescue and inflated boat shall be provided with an appliance which is capable of launching and recovering the boat.

(3) Means shall be available to prevent any discharge of water on to rescue and inflated boats during abandonment of the ship.

Stowage of lifebuoys

17.—(1) Lifebuoys shall be distributed as to be readily available on both sides of the ship and, as far as practicable, on all open decks extending to the ship’s side. At least one lifebuoy shall be placed in the vicinity of the stern.

(2) Lifebuoys shall be so stowed as to be capable of being rapidly cast loose, and not permanently secured in any way.

(3) Except as otherwise provided lifebuoys with lights and those with lights and smoke signals shall be equally distributed on both sides of the ship and shall not be the lifebuoys provided with lifelines.

Stowage of lifejackets

18.  Lifejackets shall be so placed as to be readily accessible and their position shall be clearly indicated.

Stowage of portable radio equipement

19.  Portable radio equipment for survival craft required to be carried in compliance with regulations 5(7)(a), 6(7)(a), 7(3)(d)(i), 7(4)(d)(i), 8(2)(d)(i), 8(3)(d)(i) and 9(2)(d)(i) shall be stowed in a protected and easily accessible position ready to be moved to any survival craft in an emergency.

Stowage and packing of pyrotechnic distress signals

20.—(1) Pyrotechnic distress signals provided for use on board ship shall be stowed on or near the navigating bridge. In the case of a line-throwing appliance which includes a pistol; the pistol, line and rockets together with the means of ignition shall be stowed in a container which provides protection from the weather.

(2) All pyrotechnic distress signals provided for use on board ships shall be packed in a watertight container. Such signals and signals provided for use in liferafts shall not be packed in plastic envelopes.

Manning of liferafts and rescue boats

21.  There shall be at least one crew member trained to supervise the donning of lifejackets and to launch, bowse-in and the boarding of every two liferafts carried. For the launching and recovery of the rescue boat or inflated boat there shall be at least two trained crew members.

Retro-reflective material

22.  Life-saving appliances carried on ships of Classes III, IV, V, VI and VI(A) shall be fitted with retro-reflective material where it will assist in detection, and the dimensions and location of the material shall be as specified in accordance with Merchant Shipping Notice No 1444.

Equivalents and Exceptions

23.—(1) Where these Regulations require that a particular fitting, material, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, shall be fitted or carried in a ship, or that any particular provision shall be made, the Secretary of State may permit any other fitting, material, appliance or apparatus or type thereof to be fitted or carried, or any other provision to be made in that ship if he is satisfied by trial thereof or otherwise that such other fitting, material, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, or provision is at least as effective as that required by these Regulations.

(2) For the purpose of these Regulations, the results of verifications and tests carried out by the bodies and laboratories of other member States offering suitable and satisfactory guarantees of technical and professional competence and independence shall be accepted.

(3) The Secretary of State may exempt any ship or description of ships from all or any of the provisions of these Regulations (as may be specified in the exemption) if he is satisfied that compliance with such provision is either impracticable or unreasonable in the case of that ship or description of ships on such terms (if any) as he may specify and may, subject to giving reasonable notice, alter or cancel any such exemption.

Penalties

24.—(1) If a ship to which these Regulations apply proceeds on any voyage without complying with the requirments of these Regulations, the owner and master of the ship shall each be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and a fine.

(2) It shall be a good defence to a charge under this regulation to prove that the person charged took all reasonable steps to avoid commission of the offence.

Power to detain

25.—(1) In any case where a ship does not comply with the requirements of these Regulations, the ship shall be liable to be detained and section 692 (1)–(3) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894(1)(which relates to the detention of a ship) shall have effect in relation to the ship, subject to the modification that for the words “this Act” wherever they appear, there shall be substituted the “Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances for Passenger Ships of Classes III to VI(A)) Regulations 1992”.

(1)

1894 c. 60.