The Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction: Ships of Classes III to VI(A)) Regulations 1998

Loading and stability assessment of ro-ro passenger ships of Classes III, IV and V

34.—(1) This regulation applies to ro-ro passenger ships of Classes III, IV and V.

(2) (a) The owner shall ensure that the master is provided with information relating to the ship’s stability during the process of loading and unloading. This information shall be included in the ship’s stability information.

(b) Where any alterations are made or changes occur to the ship so as materially to affect information supplied to the master in accordance with sub-paragraph (a), amended information shall be provided.

(c) The information provided pursuant to sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) shall be kept on board the ship at all times in the custody of the master.

(3) The master shall use the information provided in accordance with paragraph (2) and, when necessary, make calculations or cause calculations to be made in order to ensure that during loading and unloading the ship has adequate stability and the freeboard at any door giving access to the hull or to an enclosed superstructure is sufficient to prevent the entry of water.

(4) (a) On completion of the loading and before it proceeds on a voyage the master or an officer appointed for the purpose shall ascertain—

(i) the ship’s draught at the bow and at the stern;

(ii) the trim of the ship by the bow or the stern; and

(iii) the vertical distance from the waterline to the appropriate subdivision load line mark on each side of the ship.

(b) The draughts, trim and the vertical distances ascertained in accordance with paragraph (a) shall be recorded in a book retained on board for that purpose.

(5) Subject to paragraph (6), before proceeding on a voyage the master shall—

(a) cause the maximum permissible vertical position of the ship’s centre of gravity relative to its keel (KG) or the minimum permissible transverse metacentric height (GM) whichever is appropriate to the ship, to be determined and recorded in a book retained on board for that purpose; and

(b) ensure that the condition of loading of the ship as recorded in accordance with sub-paragraph (5)(a) is within the permissible standard of stability determined in accordance with sub-paragraph (4)(b) and satisfies all the relevant requirements prescribed in the stability information book.

(6) (a) Where a ship regularly plies to and from the same place in conditions of loading which correspond closely to conditions of loading which are clearly specified in the stability information book and such specified conditions of loading allow a sufficient margin of stability beyond the minimum required for safety purposes to allow for small variations which might occur between a specified condition of loading and the actual loading of the ship, the Secretary of State may approve the conditions of loading so specified.

(b) When conditions of loading have been approved in accordance with sub-paragraph (a) before the ship proceeds on a voyage the master shall—

(i) ensure that the actual condition of loading of the ship corresponds closely to one of the specified conditions of loading so approved; and

(ii) record the specified condition of loading so approved to which the actual condition corresponds, in a book specially retained on board for that purpose.

(7) A copy of the information required by sub-paragraph (6)(b)(ii) shall be forwarded, as soon as is practicable, to a person nominated by the owner as being responsible and retained in his custody for a period of at least one calendar month.