OTHER
AMENDMENTS TO SOLAS
Increased
Dry Docking Survey Frequency
Resolution
MSC.105(73) adopted revisions to SOLAS which will require the inspection
of the outer hull of all bulk carriers and oil tankers of 15 years
of age and greater which are subject to the enhanced program of
surveys to be carried out with the ship in dry dock twice
in every five year period. Previously, one of the inspections was
permitted to be carried out while afloat using underwater divers.
This
requirement becomes effective for intermediate and renewal surveys
which are due on or after on 1 July 2002. WP.19
Revision
of the HSC Code
Amendments
to the High Speed Craft Code were adopted through resolution MSC.97(73)
and will apply to HSC constructed on/after 1 July 2002.
Substantive
changes relative to the previous Code include
- The minimum
100% survival craft capacity per HSC has been increased to require
100% per each side of the HSC;
- The Administration
is to determine the extent that VDR’s and shipborne navigation
equipment are to be fitted to HSC’s with tonnages below 150
gt;
- All craft
are to be provided with nautical charts and publications (either
hardcopy or electronic versions – ECDIS) for the intended
area of operation.
- The previous
recommendation to provide craft with an automatic pilot
has now been made mandatory as has the fitting of an Automatic
Identification Systems, AIS, which transmits to shore-side stations,
other ships and aircraft, the HSC’s identity, type, position,
course, speed and navigational status of the craft’s command
and engines;
- VDR’s
will be required on all passenger HSC’s, regardless of size,
and all cargo HSC’s > 3000gt.
- The manufacturers
of all shipborne navigation equipment and VDR’s must have
a quality control system in place and be audited by a competent
authority. Otherwise, the type approval certificate for each
product is to be verified by the competent authority before
installation of the product on board. The performance standards
applied to such equipment shall, to the extent practicable, be
not less that those developed by IMO.
- Minimum extents
of watertight and weathertight integrity are now specified;
- Design acceleration
and collision loads have been revised;
- GMDSS requirements
now apply to all craft types on all voyages;
- Carriage
requirements for dangerous goods are now specified; and
- Extents of
bottom raking damage (see below) have been increased WP/19
Extents of HSC Raking Damage
Certification
Revisions
to the ISM Code were adopted through resolution MSC.104(73). It
officially makes mandatory the existing procedures for auditing
and certifying ships and Companies as per the ISM Guidelines contained
in resolution A.788(19).
Previously,
the Guidelines were officially limited to audits carried out pursuant
to issuance of the interim certificate, although in practice they
were normally applied.
Resolution
MSC.104(73) allows for a 6 month interim safety management certificate
to be issued to a ship changing flag provided the Company has planned
for an audit of the ship within 3 months of the interim certificate’s
issuance date. Before, the interim certificate was limited to new
construction ships or to new types of ships operated by the Company.
Also,
it allows for a copy of the Company’s Document of Compliance
to be retained on board the ship, whereas before there existed some
ambiguities in the text which suggested that the original DOC had
to be retained on board. This had previously caused administrative
burdens and in some cases undue delays, recognizing that a fleet
of ships may be operated by the same Company holding one DOC applicable
to its fleet.
Resolution
MSC.100(73) amends the Record of Equipment to account for
the additional navigational systems and equipment required to be
on board ships as discussed under the section entitled Navigation
Safety.
All
of these amendments come into force on 1 July 2002 such that certificates/reports
issued after this date need to reflect these amendments. WP.19
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