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Miscellaneous
Helicopter
Landing Areas
Pursuant
to SOLAS regulation III/28, the MSC issued MSC/Circ.895 which contains
recommendations for arrangement, marking and dimensioning of helicopter
landing areas on ro-ro passenger ships. The arrangement of the landing
and maneuvering zones are specified based on whether access to the
heliport is unobstructed or not. 14.22
This
session of the MSC also evaluated safety assessment, cost benefit
and fatality aversion studies relative to helicopter search and
rescue operations carried from landing facilities onboard passenger
ships other than ro-ro passenger ships.
While
noting that neither study fully evaluated the risk associated with
helicopter operations, the MSC agreed that the risk could be significant
and that the estimated cost of averting a fatality by providing
a helicopter landing area (HLA) would be in the order of 10 times
the value commonly used for other modes of transportation. Based
on the above, the MSC agreed that the current SOLAS amendment --
which will enter into force on 1 July 1999 as per MSC.47(66) --
should be repealed.
As
such, passenger ships other than ro-ro passenger ships, built after
1 July 1999 would not be required to be fitted with a helicopter
landing area. A regulatory document containing the specifics of
the repeal will be developed and considered at MSC 71 in May 1999.
14.19-14.20
Onboard
Computers
Guidelines
for use and application of onboard computer was issued as a MSC/Circ.891.
The guidelines focus on the design, testing and approval of computers
which are used to perform essential functions, such as propulsion,
steering, maneuvering, fire safety systems, communication navigation
and cargo handling operations. 11.79
Government
Responsibilities
Significant
debate focused on the performance of flag States and the proposal
by the FSI Sub-Committee to carryout a self-assessment of the each
flag States' responsibilities. In order to obtain a clear understanding
of a flag State's performance against defined criteria, to identify
deficiencies and to take positive steps to overcome identified shortcomings,
several delegations supported a proposed amendment to SOLAS which
would provide a legal basis for a mandatory self-assessment and
appraisal of the results by IMO.
Due
to a number of delegations objecting to such a mandatory provision
based on their opinion that such an appraisal would constitute an
infringement of the sovereign rights of a State, a compromise was
reached to develop an Assembly resolution which would urge administrations
to use the self-assessment form to determine how well the administration
was functioning in discharging its responsibilities and for purposes
of correcting identified weaknesses.
The
self-assessment form includes internal criteria -- pertaining to
the administration's infrastructure and management of resources
- and external criteria - relative to the performance of its registered
fleet of ships. 9.13-15
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