Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 laying down technical requirements for inland waterway vessels and repealing Council Directive 82/714/EEC (2006/87/EC) (repealed)

CHAPTER 4 SAFETY CLEARANCE, FREEBOARD AND DRAUGHT MARKS

Article 4.01 Safety clearance

1. The safety clearance shall be at least 300 mm.

2. The safety clearance in the case of vessels whose openings cannot be closed by spray-proof and weathertight devices, and for vessels sailing with their holds uncovered, shall be increased in such a way that each of those openings shall be at least 500 mm from the plane of maximum draught.

Article 4.02 Freeboard

1. The freeboard of vessels with a continuous deck, without sheer and superstructures, shall be 150 mm.

2. The freeboard of vessels with sheer and superstructures shall be calculated using the following formula:

where:

a

is a correction coefficient that takes account of all of the superstructures involved;

β_v

is a coefficient for correcting the effect of the forward sheer resulting from the presence of superstructures in the forward quarter of length L of the vessel;

β_a

is a coefficient correcting the effect of the aft sheer resulting from the presence of superstructures in the aft quarter of length L of the vessel;

Se_v

is the effective forward sheer in mm;

Se_a

is the effective aft sheer in mm.

3. The coefficient α is calculated using the following formula:

where:

le_m

is the effective length, in m, of a superstructure located in the median part corresponding to half of length L of the vessel;

le_v

is the effective length, in m, of a superstructure in the forward quarter of vessel length L;

le_a

is the effective length, in m, of a superstructure in the aft quarter of vessel length L.

The effective length of a superstructure is calculated using the following formulae:

where:

l

is the effective length, in m, of the superstructure involved;

b

is the width, in m, of the superstructure involved;

B₁

is the width of the vessel, in m, measured on the outside of the vertical sideplates at deck level halfway along the superstructure involved;

h

is the height, in m, of the superstructure involved. However, in the case of hatches, h is obtained by reducing the height of the coamings by half of the safety distance according to Article 4.01(1) and (2). In no case will a value exceeding 0,36 m be taken for h.

If or is less than 0,6 the effective length le of the superstructure will be zero.

4. Coefficients β_v and β_a are calculated using the following formulae:

5. The effective aft/forward sheers Se_v/Se_a are calculated using the following formulae:

• Se_v = S_v · p

• Se_a = S_a · p

where:

S_v

is the actual forward sheer, in mm; however S_v shall not be taken to be more than 1 000 mm;

S_a

is the actual aft sheer, in mm; however S_a may not be taken to be more than 500 mm;

p

is a coefficient calculated using the following formula:

x

is the abscissa, measured from the extremity of the point where the sheer is 0,25 S_v or 0,25 S_a (see figure).

However, coefficient p will not be taken to be more than 1.

6. If β_a · Se_a is greater than β_v · Se_v, the value β_v · Se_v of will be taken as being the value for β_a · Se_a.

Article 4.03 Minimum freeboard

In view of the reductions referred to in Article 4.02 the minimum freeboard shall be not less than 0 mm.

Article 4.04 Draught marks

1. The plane of maximum draught shall be determined in such a way that the specifications concerning minimum freeboard and minimum safety clearance are both met. However, for safety reasons, the inspection body may lay down a greater value for the safety clearance or freeboard. The plane of maximum draught shall be determined at least for Zone 3.

2. The plane of maximum draught shall be indicated by means of highly visible, indelible draught marks.

3. The draught marks for Zone 3 shall consist of a rectangle 300 mm long and 40 mm deep, the base of which is horizontal and coincides with the plane of the maximum authorised draught. Any differing draught marks shall include such a rectangle.

4. Vessels shall have at least three pairs of draught marks, of which one pair shall be centrally located and the two others located, respectively, at a distance from the bow and stern that is equal to roughly one-sixth of the length.

However,

(a) where a vessel is less than 40 m in length it will suffice to affix two pairs of marks at a distance from the bow and stern, respectively, that is equal to a quarter of the length;

(b) where vessels are not intended for the carriage of goods, a pair of marks located roughly halfway along the vessel will suffice.

5. Marks or indications which cease to be valid following a further inspection shall be deleted or marked as being no longer valid under the supervision of the inspection body. If a draught mark should disappear, it may only be replaced under the supervision of an inspection body.

6. Where a vessel has been measured in implementation of the 1966 Convention on the Measurement of Inland Navigation Vessels and the plane of the measurement marks meets the requirements of this Directive, those measurement marks shall take the place of the draught marks; this shall be mentioned in the Community certificate.

7. For vessels operating on zones of inland waterways other than Zone 3 (Zones 1, 2 or 4) the bow and stern pairs of draught marks provided for in paragraph 4 shall be supplemented by adding a vertical line to which one or, in the case of several zones, several additional draught lines 150 mm long shall be affixed towards the bow, in relation to the draught mark for Zone 3.

This vertical line and the horizontal line shall be 30 mm thick. In addition to the draught mark towards the bow of the vessel, the relevant zone numbers shall be indicated in lettering 60 mm high × 40 mm deep (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Article 4.05 Maximum loaded draught of vessels whose holds are not always closed so as to be spray-proof and weathertight

If the plane of maximum draught for Zone 3 of a vessel is determined by assuming that the holds may be closed in such a way as to make them spray-proof and weathertight, and if the distance between the plane of maximum draught and the upper edge of the coamings is less than 500 mm, the maximum draught for sailing with uncovered holds shall be determined.

The following statement shall be entered on the Community certificate:

‘Where the hold hatches are totally or partly uncovered the vessel may only be loaded up to ... mm below the draught marks for Zone 3.’

Article 4.06 Draught scales

1. Vessels whose draught may exceed 1 m shall bear a draught scale on each of their sides towards the stern; they may bear additional draught scales.

2. The zero points on each draught scale shall be taken vertically to this within the plane running parallel to the plane of maximum draught passing through the lowest point of the hull or of the keel where such exists. The vertical distance above the zero point shall be graduated in decimetres. That graduation shall be located on each scale, from the unladen water line up to 100 mm above the maximum draught by means of punched or chiselled marks, and shall be painted in the form of a highly-visible band in two alternating colours. That graduation shall be identified by figures at a distance of every five decimetres marked next to the scale as well as at the top of the scale.

3. The two stern measurement scales affixed pursuant to the Convention referred to in Article 4.04 (6), may replace the draught scales, provided that they include a graduation that meets the requirements plus, where appropriate, figures indicating the draught.