The Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction and Survey) (Amendment) Regulations 1990

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction) Regulations 1980 and the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction and Survey) Regulations 1984 and give effect, in relation to new United Kingdom passenger ships, to the amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 adopted by the International Maritime Organization at its 55th Session by Resolutions MSC. 12(56) and MSC. 13(57).

They principally:

(a) amend and revoke various earlier amendment Regulations and revoke the Merchant Shipping (Loading and Stability Assessment of Ro-Ro Passenger Ships) Regulations 1989 (regulation 2);

(b) insert the requirements of the previous Loading and Stability Assessment Regulations, which now apply to all types of passenger ships, as amendments to both the 1980 and 1984 Passenger Ship Construction Regulations respectively. These Regulations also introduce new SOLAS amendment Regulations which require a lightweight survey to be carried out on passenger ships every five years. This latter amendment replaces the requirement to incline ro-ro passengers ships only, every four years (regulations 3(3) and 4(4));

(c) provide for limiting stability envelope curves to be calculated for all passenger ships instead of only for ro-ro passenger ships (regulations 3(8) and 4(12));

(d) provide for new SOLAS Regulations which increase the residual stability criteria requirements for new passenger ships (regulations 4(5) and (13));

(e) introduce new SOLAS amendment Regulations for openings in watertight bulkheads in passenger ships built after 1st February 1992 (“post 1992 ships”) (regulation 5); and

(f) introduces requirements for the drainage of enclosed cargo spaces above the bulkhead deck again for post 1992 ships (regulation 5(15)).

Amendments to SOLAS can be obtained from the International Maritime Organisation, 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR.