The Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction: Ships of Classes I, II and II(A)) Regulations 1998

Ships carrying goods vehicles and accompanying personnel (watertight doors) Requirements for ships constructed on or after 1st September 1984

19.—(1) (a) In every ship designed or adapted for the carriage of goods vehicles and accompanying personnel, hinged, rolling or sliding watertight doors may be fitted at any level in watertight bulkheads dividing cargo spaces intended for such vehicles, if the total number of passengers, including the personnel accompanying the goods vehicles, which the ship is intended to carry does not exceed—

where

• A is the total deck area in square metres available in any spaces for the stowage of goods vehicles which has a clear height of not less than 4 metres and has a clear height at the entrance or access of not less than 4 metres; provided that in calculating A any part of any space which does not have a clear height of 4 metres and any part of space, of whatever height, which does not have a clear height at the entrance or access of 4 metres shall be excluded from the calculation.

(b) Every watertight door fitted in accordance with this regulation shall comply with the requirements of paragraph 10 of Section 3 of Schedule 4 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1698 (M) and every such door shall be connected with an indicator on the navigating bridge showing when the door is closed and all door fastenings are secured.

(2) In applying sub-paragraph (1)(1) of Schedule 1 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1698 (M) for the worst operating condition, the permeability of cargo spaces used for the stowage of containers shall be derived by calculation in which the containers shall be assumed to be non-watertight and their permeability taken as 65 per cent. For ships which are dedicated to a particular trade or trades the actual value of permeability for the containers may be applied. In no case shall the permeability of the cargo spaces in which the containers are carried be taken as less than 60 per cent.