All inboard mounted engines shall be placed within an enclosure separated from living quarters and installed so as to minimise the risk of fires or spread of fires as well as hazards from toxic fumes, heat, noise or vibrations in the living quarters.
Engine parts and accessories that require frequent inspection and/or servicing shall be readily accessible.
The insulating materials inside the engine compartment shall not sustain combustion.
The engine compartment shall be ventilated. The ingress of water into the engine compartment through openings must be minimised.
Unless the engine is protected by a cover or its own enclosure, exposed moving or hot parts of the engine that could cause personal injury shall be effectively shielded.
Every outboard propulsion engine fitted on any watercraft shall have a device to prevent the engine being started in gear, except:
when the engine produces less than 500 Newton’s (N) of static thrust;
when the engine has a throttle limiting device to limit thrust to 500 N at the time of starting the engine.
Personal watercraft shall be designed either with an automatic propulsion engine cut-off or with an automatic device to provide reduced speed, circular, forward movement when the driver dismounts deliberately or falls overboard.
The filling, storage, venting and fuel-supply arrangements and installations shall be designed and installed so as to minimise the risk of fire and explosion.
Fuel tanks, lines and hoses shall be secured and separated or protected from any source of significant heat. The material the tanks are made of and their method of construction shall be in accordance with their capacity and the type of fuel.
Petrol fuel tank spaces shall be ventilated.
Petrol fuel tanks shall not form part of the hull and shall be:
protected against fire from any engine and from all other sources of ignition;
separated from living quarters.
Diesel fuel tanks may be integral with the hull.
Electrical systems shall be designed and installed so as to ensure proper operation of the watercraft under normal conditions of use and shall be such as to minimise risk of fire and electric shock.
All electrical circuits, except engine starting circuits supplied from batteries, shall remain safe when exposed to overload.
Electric propulsion circuits shall not interact with other circuits in such a way that either would fail to operate as intended.
Ventilation shall be provided to prevent the accumulation of explosive gases which might be emitted from batteries. Batteries shall be firmly secured and protected from ingress of water.
Steering and propulsion control systems shall be designed, constructed and installed in order to allow the transmission of steering loads under foreseeable operating conditions.
Every sailing recreational craft and single-propulsion engine non-sailing recreational craft with remote-controlled rudder steering systems shall be provided with emergency means of steering the recreational craft at reduced speed.
Gas systems for domestic use shall be of the vapour-withdrawal type and shall be designed and installed so as to avoid leaks and the risk of explosion and be capable of being tested for leaks. Materials and components shall be suitable for the specific gas used to withstand the stresses and exposures found in the marine environment.
Each gas appliance intended by the manufacturer for the application for which it is used shall be so installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Each gas-consuming appliance must be supplied by a separate branch of the distribution system, and each appliance must be controlled by a separate closing device. Adequate ventilation must be provided to prevent hazards from leaks and products of combustion.
All watercraft with a permanently installed gas system shall be fitted with an enclosure to contain all gas cylinders. The enclosure shall be separated from the living quarters, accessible only from the outside and ventilated to the outside so that any escaping gas drains overboard.
In particular, any permanently installed gas system shall be tested after installation.
The type of equipment installed and the layout of the watercraft shall take account of the risk and spread of fire. Special attention shall be paid to the surroundings of open flame devices, hot areas or engines and auxiliary machines, oil and fuel overflows, uncovered oil and fuel pipes and routing of electrical wiring in particular away from heat sources and hot areas.
Recreational craft shall be supplied with fire-fighting equipment appropriate to the fire hazard, or the position and capacity of fire-fighting equipment appropriate to the fire hazard shall be indicated. The craft shall not be put into service until the appropriate fire-fighting equipment is in place. Petrol engine compartments shall be protected by a fire extinguishing system that avoids the need to open the compartment in the event of fire. Where fitted, portable fire extinguishers shall be readily accessible and one shall be so positioned that it can easily be reached from the main steering position of the recreational craft.
Where navigation lights, shapes and sound signals are fitted, they shall comply with the 1972 COLREG (The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) or CEVNI (European Code for Interior Navigations for inland waterways) Regulations as appropriate.
Watercraft shall be constructed so as to prevent the accidental discharge of pollutants (oil, fuel, etc.) overboard.
Any toilet fitted in a recreational craft shall be connected solely to a holding tank system or water treatment system.
Recreational craft with installed holding tanks shall be fitted with a standard discharge connection to enable pipes of reception facilities to be connected with the recreational craft discharge pipeline.
In addition, any through-the-hull pipes for human waste shall be fitted with valves which are capable of being secured in the closed position.