CHAPTER III.

LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES AND ARRANGEMENTS

 

With amendments

 

 

 PART A - GENERAL

 

 Regulation 1.
Application

 

1. Unless expressly provided otherwise, this chapter shall apply to ships the keels of which are laid or which are at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 July 1998.

 

2. For the purpose of this chapter the term a similar stage of construction means the stage at which:

 

.1 construction identifiable with a specific ship begins; and

 

.2 assembly of that ship has commenced comprising at least 50 tonnes or 1% of the estimated mass of all structural material, whichever is less.

 

3. For the purpose of this chapter:

 

.1 the expression ships constructed means ships the keels of which are laid or which are at a similar stage of construction;

 

.2 the expression all ships means ships constructed before, on or after 1 July 1998; the expressions all passenger ships and all cargo ships shall be construed accordingly;

 

.3 a cargo ship, whenever built, which is converted to a passenger ship shall be treated as a passenger ship constructed on the date on which such a conversion commences.

 

4. For ships constructed before 1 July 1998, the Administration shall:

 

.1 ensure that, subject to the provisions of paragraphs 4.2, the requirements which are applicable under chapter III of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, in force prior to 1 July 1998 to new or existing ships as prescribed by that chapter are complied with;

 

.2 ensure that when life-saving appliances or arrangements on such ships are replaced or such ships undergo repairs, alterations or modifications of a major character which involve replacement of, or any addition to, their existing life-saving appliances or arrangements, such life-saving appliances or arrangements, in so far as is reasonable and practicable, comply with the requirements of this chapter. However, if a survival craft other than an inflatable liferaft is replaced without replacing its launching appliance, or vice versa, the survival craft or launching appliance may be of the same type as that replaced.

 

 Regulation 2.
Exemptions

 

1. The Administration may, if it considers that the sheltered nature and conditions of the voyage are such as to render the application of any specific requirements of this chapter unreasonable or unnecessary, exempt from those requirements individual ships or classes of ships which, in the course of their voyage, do not proceed more than 20 miles from the nearest land.

 

2. In the case of passenger ships which are employed in special trades for the carriage of large numbers of special trade passengers, such as the pilgrim trade, the Administration, if satisfied that it is impracticable to enforce compliance with the requirements of this chapter, may exempt such ships from those requirements, provided that such ships comply fully with the provisions of:

 

.1 the rules annexed to the Special Trade Passenger Ships Agreement, 1971; and

 

.2 the rules annexed to the Protocol on Space Requirements for Special Trade Passenger Ships, 1973.

 

 Regulation 3.
Definitions

 

For the purpose of this chapter, unless expressly provided otherwise:

 

1. Anti exposure suit (AES) is a protective suit designed for use by rescue boat crews and marine evacuation system parties.

 

2. Certificated person is a person who holds a certificate of proficiency in survival craft issued under the authority of, or recognized as valid by, the Administration in accordance with the requirements of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, in force; or a person who holds a certificate issued or recognized by the Administration of a State not a Party to that Convention for the same purpose as the convention certificate.

 

3. Detection is the determination of the location of survivors or survival craft.

 

4. Embarkation ladder is the ladder provided at survival craft embarkation stations to permit safe access to survival craft after launching.

 

5. Float-free launching is that method of launching a survival craft whereby the craft is automatically released from a sinking ship and is ready for use.

 

6. Free-fall launching is that method of launching a survival craft whereby the craft with its complement of persons and equipment on board is released and allowed to fall into the sea without any restraining apparatus.

 

7. Immersion suit is a protective suit which reduces the body heatloss of a person wearing it in cold water.

 

8. Inflatable appliance is an appliance which depends upon non-rigid, gas filled chambers for buoyancy and which is normally kept uninflated until ready for use.

 

9. Inflated appliance is an appliance which depends upon non-rigid, gas filled chambers for buoyancy and which is kept inflated and ready for use at all times.

 

10. International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code (referred to as "the Code" in this chapter) means the International Code for Requirements of Life-Saving Appliances adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization by resolution MSC.48(66), as may be amended by the Organization, provided that such amendments are adopted, brought into force and take effect in accordance with the provisions of article VIII of the present Convention concerning the amendment procedures applicable to the Annex other than chapter I.

 

11. Launching appliance or arrangement is a means of transferring a survival craft or rescue boat from its stowed position safely to the water.

 

12. Length is 96% of the total length on a waterline at 85% of the least moulded depth measured from the top of the keel, or the length from the fore-side of the stem to the axis of the rudder stock on that waterline, if that be greater. In ships designed with a rake of keel the waterline on which this is measured shall be parallel to the designed waterline.

 

13. Lightest sea-going condition is the loading condition with the ship on even keel, without cargo, with 10% stores and fuel remaining and in the case of a passenger ship with the full number of passengers and crew and their luggage.

 

14. Marine evacuation system (MES) is an appliance for the rapid transfer of persons from the embarkation deck of a ship to a floating survival craft.

 

15. Moulded depth

 

.1 The moulded depth is the vertical distance measured from the top of the keel to the top of the freeboard deck beam at side. In wood and composite ships the distance is measured from the lower edge of the keel rabbet. Where the form at the lower part of the midship section is of a hollow character, or where thick garboards are fitted, the distance is measured from the point where the line of the flat of the bottom continued inwards cuts the side of the keel.

 

.2 In ships having rounded gunwales, the moulded depth shall be measured to the point of intersection of the moulded lines of the deck and side shell plating, the lines extending as though the gunwale were of angular design.

 

.3 Where the freeboard deck is stepped and the raised part of the deck extends over the point at which the moulded depth is to be determined, the moulded depth shall be measured to a line of reference extending from the lower part of the deck along a line parallel with the raised part.

 

16. Novel life-saving appliance or arrangement is a life-saving appliance or arrangement which embodies new features not fully covered by the provisions of this chapter but which provides an equal or higher standard of safety.

 

17. Positive stability is the ability of a craft to return to its original position after the removal of a heeling moment.

 

18. Recovery time for a rescue boat is the time required to raise the boat to a position where persons on board can disembark to the deck of the ship. Recovery time includes the time required to make preparations for recovery on boat the rescue boat such as passing and securing a painter, connecting the rescue boat to the launching appliance, and the time to raise the rescue boat. Recovery time does not include the time needed to lower the launching appliance into position to recover the rescue boat.

 

19. Rescue boat is a boat designed to rescue persons in distress and to marshal survival craft.

 

20. Retrieval is the safe recovery of survivors.

 

21. Ro-ro passenger ship means a passenger ship with ro-ro cargo spaces or special category spaces as defined in regulation II-2/3.

 

22. Short international voyage is an international voyage in the course of which a ship is not more than 200 miles from a port or place in which the passengers and crew could be placed in safety. Neither the distance between the last port of call in the country in which the voyage begins and the final port of destination nor the return voyage shall exceed 600 miles. The final port of destination is the last port of call in the scheduled voyage at which the ship commences its return voyage to the country in which the voyage began.

 

23. Survival craft is a craft capable of sustaining the lives of persons in distress from the time of abandoning the ship.

 

24. Thermal protective aid is a bag or suit made of waterproof material with low thermal conductance.

 

 Regulation 4.
Evaluation, testing and approval of life-saving appliances and arrangements

 

1. Except as provided in paragraphs 5 and 6, life-saving appliances and arrangements required by this chapter shall be approved by the Administration.

 

2. Before giving approval to life-saving appliances and arrangements, the Administration shall ensure that such life-saving appliances and arrangements:

 

.1 are tested, to confirm that they comply with the requirements of this chapter and the Code, in accordance with the recommendations of the Organization*; or

 

.2 have successfully undergone, to the satisfaction of the Administration, tests which are substantially equivalent to those specified in those recommendations.

 

3. Before giving approval to novel life-saving appliances or arrangements, the Administration shall ensure that such appliances or arrangements:

 

.1 provide safety standards at least equivalent to the requirements of this chapter and the Code and have been evaluated and tested in accordance with the recommendations of the Organization**; or

____________

* Refer to the Revised Recommendation on Testing of Life-saving Appliances adopted by resolution MSC.81(70) of the Organization.

 

** Refer to the Code of Practice for the Evaluation, Testing and Acceptance of Prototype Novel Life-saving Appliances and Arrangements adopted by the Organization by resolution A.520(13).

 

.2 have successfully undergone, to the satisfaction of the Administration, evaluation and tests which are substantially equivalent to those recommendations.

 

4. Procedures adopted by the Administration for approval shall also include the conditions whereby approval would continue or would be withdrawn.

 

5. Before accepting life-saving appliances and arrangements that have not been previously approved by the Administration, the Administration shall be satisfied that life-saving appliances and arrangements comply with the requirements of this chapter and the Code.

 

6. Life-saving appliances required by this chapter for which detailed specifications are not included in the Code shall be to the satisfaction of the Administration.

 

 Regulation 5.
Production tests

 

The Administration shall require life-saving appliances to be subjected to such production tests as are necessary to ensure that the life-saving appliances are manufactured to the same standard as the approved prototype.

 

 PART В - REQUIREMENTS FOR SHIPS AND LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES

 

 Section I.
PASSENGER SHIPS AND CARGO SHIPS

 

 Regulation 6.
Communications

 

1. Paragraph 2 applies to all passenger ships and to all cargo ships of 300 gross tonnage and upwards.

 

 2. Radio life-saving appliances

 

 2.1 Two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus

 

2.1.1 At least three two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus shall be provided on every passenger ship and on every cargo ship of 500 gross tonnage and upwards. At least two two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus shall be provided on every cargo ship of 300 gross tonnage and upwards but less than 500 gross tonnage. Such apparatus shall conform to performance standards not inferior to those adopted by the Organization*. If a fixed two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus is fitted in a survival craft it shall conform to performance standards not inferior to those adopted by Organization*.

____________

* Refer to the Performance Standards for Survival Craft Two-way VHF Radiotelephone Apparatus, adopted by the Organization by resolution A.809(19), Annex 1 or Annex 2 as applicable.

 

2.1.2 Two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus provided on board ships prior to 1 February 1992 and not complying fully with the performance standards adopted by the Organization may be accepted by the Administration until 1 February 1999 provided the Administration is satisfied that they are compatible with approved two-way VHF radiotelephone apparatus.

 

 2.2 Radar transponders

 

At least one radar transponder shall be carried on each side of every passenger ship and of every cargo ship of 500 gross tonnage and upwards. At least one radar transponder shall be carried on every cargo ship of 300 gross tonnage and upwards but less than 500 gross tonnage. Such radar transponders shall conform to performance standards not inferior to those adopted by the Organization.* The radar transponders** shall be stowed in such locations that they can be rapidly placed in any survival craft other than the liferaft or liferafts required by regulation 31.1.4. Alternatively one radar transponder shall be stowed in each survival craft other than those required by regulation 31.1.4. On ships carrying at least two radar transponders and equipped with free-fall lifeboats one of the radar transponders shall be stowed in a free-fall lifeboat and the other located in the immediate vicinity of the navigating bridge so that it can be utilized on board and ready for transfer to any of the other survival craft.

____________

* Refer to the Performance Standards for Survival Craft Radar Transponders for Use in Search and Rescue Operations, adopted by the Organization by resolution A.802(19).

** One of these radar transponders may be the radar transponder required by regulation IV/7.1.3.

 

 

 3. Distress flares

 

Not less than 12 rocket parachute flares, complying with the requirements of section 3.1 of the Code, shall be carried and be stowed on or near the navigating bridge.

 

 4. Onboard communications and alarm systems

 

4.1 An emergency means comprised of either fixed or portable equipment or both shall be provided for two-way communications between emergency control stations, muster and embarkation stations and strategic positions on board.

 

4.2 A general emergency alarm system complying with the requirements of paragraph 7.2.1 of the Code shall be provided and shall be used for summoning passengers and crew to muster stations and to initiate the actions included in the muster list. The system shall be supplemented by either a public address system complying with the requirements of paragraph 7.2.2 of the Code or other suitable means of communication. Entertainment sound systems shall automatically be turned off when the general emergency alarm system is activated.

 

4.3 On passenger ships the general emergency alarm system shall be audible on all open decks.

 

4.4 On ships fitted with a marine evacuation system communication between the embarkation station and the platform or the survival craft shall be ensured.

 

 5. Public address systems on passenger ships

 

5.1 In addition to the requirements of regulation II-2/7 and regulation II-2/12, as appropriate, and of paragraph 4.2, all passenger ships shall be fitted with a public address system. With respect to passenger ships constructed before 1 July 1997 the requirements of paragraphs 5.2 and 5.4, subject to the provisions of paragraphs of paragraph 5.5, shall apply not later than the date of the first periodical survey after 1 July 1997.

 

5.2 The public address system shall be clearly audible above the ambient noise in all spaces, prescribed by paragraph 7.2.2.1 of the Code, and shall be provided with an override function controlled from one location on the navigation bridge and such other places on board as the Administration deems necessary, so that all emergency messages will be broadcast if any loudspeaker in the spaces concerned has been switched off, its volume has been turned down or the public address system is used for other purposes.

 

5.3 On passenger ships constructed on or after 1 July 1997:

 

.1 the public address system shall have at least two loops which shall be sufficiently separated throughout their length and have two separate and independent amplifiers; and

 

.2 the public address system and its performance standards shall be approved by the Administration having regard to the recommendations adopted by the Organization.* **

____________

* Refer to the Code on Alarms and Indicators, 1995, adopted by the Organization by resolution A.830(19), as amended.

** Refer to performance standards for public address systems adopted by the Organization by MSC/Circ.808.

 

5.4 The public address system shall be connected to the emergency source of electrical power required by regulation II-1/42.2.2.

 

5.5 Ships constructed before 1 July 1997 which are already fitted with the public address system approved by the Administration which complies substantially with those required by section 5.2 and 5.4 and paragraph 7.2.2.1 of the Code are not required to change their system.

 

 Regulation 7.
Personal life-saving appliances

 

 1. Lifebuoys

 

1.1 Lifebuoys complying with the requirements of paragraph 2.1.1 of the Code shall be:

 

.1 so 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 shall be placed in the vicinity of the stern;

 

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

 

1.2 At least one lifebuoy on each side of the ship shall be fitted with a buoyant lifeline complying with the requirements of paragraph 2.1.4 of the Code equal in length to not less than twice the height at which it is stowed above the waterline in the lightest seagoing condition, or 30 m, whichever is the greater.

 

1.3 Not less than one half of the total number of lifebuoys shall be provided with lifebouy self-igniting lights complying with the requirements of paragraph 2.1.2 of the Code; not less than two of these shall also be provided with lifebouy self-activating smoke signals complying with the requirements of paragraph 2.1.3 of the Code and be capable of quick release from the navigating bridge; 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 in compliance with the requirements of paragraph 1.2.

 

1.4 Each lifebuoy shall be marked in block capitals of the Roman alphabet with the name and port of registry of the ship on which it is carried.

 

 2. Lifejackets

 

2.1 A lifejacket complying with the requirements of paragraph 2.2.1 or 2.2.2 of the Code shall be provided for every person on board the ship and, in addition:

 

.1 a number of lifejackets suitable for children equal to at least 10% of the number of passengers on board shall be provided or such greater number as may be required to provide a life-jacket for each child; and