The Merchant Shipping (Crew Accommodation) Regulations 1997

Facilities for washing and drying clothes and for hanging oilskins and working clothes

28.—(1) In all ships, except where due to the nature of the service the crew are not accommodated overnight, facilities for washing, drying and ironing clothes shall be provided for officers and ratings on a scale appropriate to the size of the crew and the normal duration of the voyage. These facilities shall, wherever possible, be located within easy reach of their accommodation and arrangements shall be made to ensure separate availability of the facilities to officers and ratings.

(2) The facilities to be provided shall include—

(a) suitable sinks and washing machines, which may be installed in wash rooms if provision of a separate laundry facility is not reasonably practicable, with an adequate supply of hot and cold fresh water or means of heating water;

(b) drying machines and adequately heated and ventilated drying rooms unless the drying machines are of a type which dry clothes completely; and

(c) electric irons and ironing boards or their equivalent.

(3) Adequately ventilated compartments or lockers for use solely for hanging oilskins and other working clothes shall be provided in a place outside but conveniently near to the sleeping rooms. Separate compartments or lockers shall be provided for officers and ratings.

(4) Where washing accommodation is provided in accordance with regulation 26(24)(d) such accommodation shall be provided with a clothes locker for each member of the engine room department not provided with a single-berth sleeping room and a private or semi-private bathroom. Clothes lockers so provided shall be considered as complying with the requirements of paragraph (3) in respect of lockers for working clothes.