These Rules amend the Merchant Shipping (Pilot Ladders) Rules 1965 which specify safety requirements for pilot ladders and for appliances designed to ensure safety in their use.
The principal changes made by these Rules are (1) additional requirements relating to the steps and ropes of pilot ladders and to the material of which battens are to be made, and (2) the introduction of new requirements for the securing of bulwark ladders and the fitting of stanchions, and for the provision of a lifebuoy at the position where pilots board the ship. Dimensions are also expressed in metric units.