Annex I - Operational Readiness, Maintenance and Inspections

I1 - Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements

Operational Readiness

(1) Before the ship leaves port and at all times during the voyage, all life-saving appliances shall be in working order and ready for immediate use.

Maintenance of Life Saving Appliances

(2) Maintenance, testing and inspections of life–saving appliances shall be carried out based on the guidelines developed by the IMO^footnote and in a manner having due regard to ensuring reliability of such appliances.

(3) Instructions for on-board maintenance of life-saving appliances complying with subsection (20) shall be provided and maintenance shall be carried out accordingly.

(4) The Administration may accept, in compliance with the requirements of subsection (3), a shipboard planned maintenance programme, which includes the items covered in the list required in accordance with subsection (20).

Maintenance of Falls

(5) Falls used in launching shall be inspected periodically^footnote with special regard for areas passing through sheaves, and renewed when necessary due to deterioration of the falls or at intervals of not more than 5 years, whichever is the earlier.

Spares and Repair Equipment

(6) Spares and repair equipment shall be provided for life-saving appliances and their components which are subject to excessive wear or consumption and shall be replaced regularly.

Weekly Tests and Inspections

(7) The following tests and inspections shall be carried out weekly and a report on them shall be entered in the log-book-

(8) all survival craft, rescue boats and launching appliances shall be visually inspected to ensure that they are ready for use and the inspection shall include, but not be limited to, the condition of hooks, their attachment to the lifeboat and the confirmation that the on-load release gear has been properly and completely reset;

(9) all engines in lifeboats and rescue boats shall be run for a total period of not less than 3 minutes, provided the ambient temperature is above the minimum temperature required for starting and running the engine and during this period of time it shall be demonstrated that the gear box and gear box train are engaging satisfactorily;

(10) if the special characteristics of an outboard motor fitted to a rescue boat would not allow it to be run for a period of 3 minutes other than with its propeller submerged, a suitable water supply may be provided; and

(11) the general emergency alarm shall be tested.

Monthly Tests and Inspections

(12) The following tests and inspections shall be carried out monthly and a report on them shall be entered in the log-book-

(a) all lifeboats, except free-fall lifeboats, shall be turned out from their stowed position, without any persons onboard, if weather and sea conditions so allow; and
(b) inspection of the life-saving appliances, including lifeboat equipment, shall be carried out using the checklist required by subsection (20) (a) to ensure that they are complete and in good order.

Servicing of Life Saving Appliances and Systems

(13) Every inflatable liferaft, inflatable lifejacket, and marine evacuation system shall be serviced-

(a) at intervals not exceeding 12 months, provided where in any case this is impracticable, the Administration may extend this period to 17 months; and
(b) at an approved servicing station which is competent to service them, maintains proper servicing facilities and uses only properly trained personnel^footnote.
(c) All repairs and maintenance of inflated rescue boats shall be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Emergency repairs may be carried out on board the ship; however, permanent repairs shall be effected at an approved servicing station

(14) An Administration which approves new and novel inflatable liferaft arrangements pursuant to section 7.2 may allow for extended service intervals on the following conditions-

(a) the new and novel liferaft arrangement has proved to maintain the same standard, as required by testing procedure, during extended service intervals.
(b) the liferaft system shall be checked onboard by certified personnel at intervals set out in subsection (13)(a)
(c) service at intervals not exceeding five years shall be carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the IMO^footnote.

(15) An Administration which permits extension of liferaft service intervals in accordance (with subsection (14) shall notify the IMO of such action in accordance with SOLAS I/5(b).

(16) All repairs and maintenance of inflated rescue boats shall be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions; emergency repairs may be carried out onboard the ship; however, permanent repairs shall be effected at an approved servicing station.

Servicing of Life Saving Appliances and Systems

(17) Hydrostatic release units, other than disposable hydrostatic release units, shall be serviced-

(a) at intervals not exceeding 12 months, provided where in any case this is impracticable, the Administration may extend this period to 17 months^footnote; and
(b) at a servicing station which is competent to service them, maintains proper servicing facilities and uses only properly trained personnel.

Periodic Servicing of Launching Appliances and on-Load Release Gear

(18) Launching appliances shall be-

(a) maintained in accordance with instructions for on-board maintenance as required by subsection (20).
(b) subject to a thorough examination at the annual surveys required by SOLAS I/7 or 8, as applicable; and
(c) upon completion of the examination referred to in paragraph (b) above, subjected to a dynamic test of the winch brake at maximum lowering speed and the load to be applied shall be the mass of the survival craft or rescue boat without persons onboard, provided that, at intervals not exceeding five years, the test shall be carried out with a proof load equal to 1.1 times the weight of the survival craft or rescue boat and its full complement of persons and equipment.

(19) Lifeboat or rescue boat on-load release gear shall be-

(a) maintained in accordance with instructions for on-board maintenance as required by subsection (20);
(b) subject to a thorough examination and operational test during the annual surveys required by SOLAS I/7 or 8, as applicable; and
(c) operationally tested under a load of 1.1 times the total mass of the boat when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment whenever the release gear is overhauled provided that such over-hauling and tests shall be carried out at least once every five years^footnote

Instructions for on-board maintenance

(20) Instructions for on-board maintenance of life-saving appliances shall be easily understood, illustrated wherever possible, and, as appropriate, shall include the following for each appliance-

(a) a checklist for use when carrying out the inspections required by subsection (12)(b);
(b) maintenance and repair instructions;
(c) a schedule of periodic maintenance;
(d) a diagram of lubrication points with the recommended lubricants;
(e) a list of replaceable parts;
(f) a list of sources of spare parts; and
(g) a log for records of inspections and maintenance.

Rotational Deployment of Marine Evacuation Systems

(21) In addition to or in conjunction with the servicing intervals of marine evacuation systems required by subsection (9), each marine evacuation system shall be deployed^footnote from the ship on a rotational basis at intervals shall be agreed by the Administration provided that each system shall be deployed at least once every six years.

Marking of Stowage Locations

(22) Containers, brackets, racks, and other similar stowage locations for life-saving equipment, shall be marked with symbols in accordance with the recommendations of the IMO^footnote, indicating the devices stowed in that location for that purpose and where more than one device is stowed in that location, the number of devices shall also be indicated.

I2 - Construction - Fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction

Purpose

(1) The purpose of this paragraph is to maintain and monitor the effectiveness of the fire safety measures the ship is provided with. For this purpose, the following functional requirements shall be met-

(a) fire protection systems and fire-fighting systems and appliances shall be maintained ready for use; and
(b) fire protection systems and fire-fighting systems and appliances shall be properly tested and inspected.

General Requirements

(2) At all times while the ship is in service, the requirements of Annex C shall be complied with and a ship is not in service when-

(a) it is in for repairs or lay-up (either at anchor or in port) or in dry-dock;
(b) it is declared not in service by the owner or the owner's representative; or

(3) The following fire protection systems shall be kept in good order so as to ensure their required performance if a fire occurs-

(a) structural fire protection, including fire-resisting divisions, and protection of openings and penetrations in these divisions;
(b) fire detection and fire alarm systems; and
(c) means of escape systems and appliances.

(4) Fire-fighting systems and appliances shall be kept in good working order and readily available for immediate use. Portable extinguishers which have been discharged shall be immediately recharged or replaced with an equivalent unit.

(5) Maintenance, testing and inspections shall be carried out based on the guidelines developed by the IMO^footnote and in a manner having due regard to ensuring the reliability of fire-fighting systems and appliances.

(6) The maintenance plan shall be kept onboard the ship and shall be available for inspection whenever required by the Administration.

(7) The maintenance plan which may be computer based shall include at least the following fire protection systems and fire-fighting systems and appliances, where installed-

(a) fire mains, fire pumps and hydrants, including hoses, nozzles and international shore connections;
(b) fixed fire detection and fire alarm systems;
(c) fixed fire-extinguishing systems and other fire-extinguishing appliances;
(d) automatic sprinkler, fire detection and fire alarm systems;
(e) ventilation systems, including fire and smoke dampers, fans and their controls;
(f) emergency shutdown of fuel supply;
(g) fire doors, including their controls;
(h) general emergency alarm systems;
(i) emergency escape breathing devices;
(j) portable fire extinguishers, including spare charges; and
(k) firefighter's outfits.