The Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances For Ships Other Than Ships Of Classes III To VI(A)) Regulations 1999

Survival craft launching arrangements

74.—(1) Launching appliances complying with the requirements of Schedule 6, Parts 1 and 3, shall be provided for all liferafts except:

(a) liferafts which are boarded from a position which is less than 4.5 metres above the waterline in the lightest seagoing condition and which either:

(i) have a mass of not more than 185 kilogrammes; or

(ii) are stowed for launching directly from the stowed position under unfavourable conditions of trim of up to 10 degrees and with the ship listed not less than 20 degrees either way;

(b) liferafts having a mass of not more than 185 kilogrammes and which are carried in excess of the survival craft for 200 per cent of the total number of persons on board the ship;

(c) liferafts carried in excess of the survival craft for 200 per cent of the total number of persons on board the ship, are stowed for launching directly from the stowed position under unfavourable conditions of trim of up to 10 degrees and list of up to 20 degrees either way;

(d) liferafts provided for use in conjunction with a marine evacuation system, complying with Schedule 5, Part 1 and stowed for launching directly from the stowed position under unfavourable conditions of trim of up to 10 degrees and list of up to 20 degrees either way.

(2) Each lifeboat shall be provided with an appliance complying with the requirement of Schedule 6, which is capable of launching and recovering the lifeboat. In addition there shall be provision for hanging-off the lifeboat to free the release gear for maintenance.

(3) Only one type of release mechanism shall be used for similar survival craft carried on board the ship.

(4) On ships of Classes I, II and II(A) all survival craft required to provide for abandonment by the total number of persons on board shall be capable of being launched with their full complement of persons and equipment within a period of 30 minutes from the time the abandon ship signal is given.

(5) On ships of Classes VII, VII(T), VIII, VIII(T), VIII(A), VIII(A)(T), IX and XI, with the exception of the survival craft referred to in subparagraph (1)(a), all survival craft required to provide for abandonment by the total number of persons on board shall be capable of being launched with their full complement of persons and equipment within a period of 10 minutes from the time the abandon ship signal is given.

(6) On ships of Classes VII, VII(T), VIII, VIII(T), VIII(A), VIII(A)(T), and IX of 20,000 tones and upwards, lifeboats shall be capable of being launched where necessary utilising painters, with the ship making headway at speeds up to 5 knots in calm water.

(7) Preparation and handling of survival craft at any one launching station shall not interfere with the prompt preparation and handling of any other survival craft or rescue boat at any other station.

(8) During preparation and launching, each survival craft, its launching appliance, and the area of water into which it is to be launched shall be adequately illuminated by lighting supplied from the emergency source of electrical power required by the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction: Ships of Classes I, II and II(A)) Regulations 1998 or the Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship Construction) Regulations 1997, as appropriate.

(9) Means shall be available to prevent any overboard discharge of water on to survival craft during abandonment or man overboard operations.

(10) If there is a danger of a survival craft being damaged by the ship’s stabiliser fins, means shall be available, powered by an emergency source of energy, to bring the stabiliser fins inboard. Indicators operated by an emergency source of energy shall be available on the navigating bridge to show the position of the stabiliser fins.