5.3 Structural safety
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1329 – Guidelines for Uniform Operating Limitations of High-Speed Craft – (11 June 2009) - Annex – Guidelines for Uniform Operating Limitations of High-Speed Craft - 5 Sea State Limitations – Significant Wave Height - 5.3 Structural safety

5.3 Structural safety

  5.3.1 It is clearly vital to the structural integrity of a high-speed craft that the craft is not operated outside the limitations to which the structure has been designed.

  5.3.2 In this regard, and bearing in mind the equivalence of safety standards of craft covered by the Code with those of SOLAS in accordance with SOLAS chapter X, it should be noted that SOLAS regulation II-1/3-1 requires that:

  “… ships shall be designed, constructed and maintained in compliance with the structural, mechanical and electrical requirements of a classification society which is recognized by the Administration in accordance with the provisions of regulation XI-1/1, or with applicable national standards of the Administration which provide an equivalent level of safety”.

  5.3.3 Some classification society rules base their structural loadings on a limiting vertical acceleration at the longitudinal centre of gravity. In order to avoid exceeding this structural limitation, the societies may issue the craft with a diagram developed from this assumption, which relates the maximum permitted speed of the craft to the prevailing significant wave height. Refer to paragraph 8.2 of these Guidelines in relation to presentation of the resulting operating limitations, which may be determined by other factors in accordance with paragraph 1.6.

  5.3.4 Sometimes speed reduction in waves may be involuntary, due to increased resistance. But deliberate speed reduction is generally necessary in order to stay within safe limits in high sea states.

Parent topic: 5 Sea State Limitations – Significant Wave Height
Copyright 2022 Clasifications Register Group Limited, International Maritime Organization, International Labour Organization or Maritime and Coastguard Agency. All rights reserved. Clasifications Register Group Limited, its affiliates and subsidiaries and their respective officers, employees or agents are, individually and collectively, referred to in this clause as 'Clasifications Register'. Clasifications Register assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable to any person for any loss, damage or expense caused by reliance on the information or advice in this document or howsoever provided, unless that person has signed a contract with the relevant Clasifications Register entity for the provision of this information or advice and in that case any responsibility or liability is exclusively on the terms and conditions set out in that contract.