PART V STABILITY AND SHIPSIDE MARKINGS

38 Inclining, lightweight survey and stability information
1 Every ship on her completion shall be inclined and the elements of her stability determined. The master shall be supplied by the owner with approved information relating to the stability of the ship in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.
2 (i) Every ship shall have a lightweight survey carried out within each period of five years to verify any changes in lightship displacement and longitudinal centre of gravity. Such periods shall commence on the date of issue of a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate or Passenger Certificate or from a previous inclining or lightweight survey, whichever date is the earliest.
(ii) The ship shall be re-inclined whenever, in comparison with the ship’s approved stability information derived from the previous inclining experiment, a deviation from the lightship displacement exceeding 2 per cent or a deviation of the longitudinal centre of gravity exceeding 1 per cent of the ship’s length is found or anticipated.
(iii) Every inclining or lightweight survey made for the purpose of this paragraph shall be carried out in the presence of a nominated surveyor.
(iv) The interval between lightweight surveys of any such ship may be extended for a period of not more than one year if, on the production of relevant information about the ship, it can be shown that the lightweight survey is not necessary at the required interval.
3 An approved report of each inclining or lightweight survey carried out in accordance with paragraph (2) and of the calculation therefrom of the lightship condition shall be placed on board for the use of the master.
4 Where elements of a ship’s stability have been found to have changed following any inclining or lightweight survey carried out in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (2) the master shall be supplied with amended approved stability information.
5 Where any alterations are made to a ship so as materially to affect the stability information supplied to the master, amended stability information shall be provided, and the ship shall be re-inclined.
Reg. 38 in force at 12.11.1998, see reg. 1(1)