Every ship shall be provided with an efficient main steering gear and, subject to paragraph 5 of Schedule 9 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1698 (M), an efficient auxiliary steering gear. The main steering gear and the auxiliary steering gear shall be arranged so that the failure of one of them will not render the other one inoperative.

The design and operation of main and auxiliary steering gears shall be in accordance with the specifications set out in Schedule 9 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1698 (M).