1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-fourth
session (30 May to 8 June 2001), noted that SOLAS
regulation III/26, as amended by resolution MSC.47(66), which
entered into force on 1 July 1998, requires all ro-ro passenger ships
to be fitted with a fast rescue boat (FRB) and a means of rescue not
later than the first periodical survey after 1 July 2000.
2 The Committee had been informed of many accidents
and near-accidents as a result of trials and drills involving the
launching and recovery of fast rescue boats that have been fitted
to date onboard ro-ro passenger ships. Concerns have also been expressed
that some masters of these ships and the crews involved in the launching
and operation of fast rescue boats do not have confidence in this
equipment, especially regarding its use in emergency conditions when
the weather and sea state may be unfavourable.
3 The Committee, recognising the importance of
this issue, instructed its Sub-Committees on Ship Design and Equipment
(DE) and on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW) to review
the arrangement, specification, testing and operation of fast rescue
boats and means of rescue, and the training of the relevant crew members,
respectively, as a matter of urgency.
4 The Committee noted that an effective study
of FRB installation and operation would of necessity take at least
two years to complete, and that the final form of the revised requirements
and recommendations could not be anticipated at that time. Therefore, MSC/Circ.1016 was issued to inform interested
parties about the IMO review.
5 Since then, further research has been undertaken
and operators of ships have been consulted. Where masters and crews
have gained experience and confidence in the use of FRBs, the following
salient points have been identified as contributing to successful
operation:
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.1 all parts of the stowage, launch and recovery
system are proven to be compatible well before installation, preferably
at the design stage, and are supplied and supported by a single source;
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.2 the fast rescue boat is installed as near the
mid-length of the ship as possible, the height of the lifting davit
head is minimised, and there is a long towing painter from a boom
that keeps the waterborne boat clear of the ship's wash; and
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.3 the fast rescue boat crew and the on-board
launch personnel consistently train as an integrated team.
6 Member Governments and other parties involved
in the design, installation, testing, approval, survey and operation
of FRB systems are urged to take note of the information in paragraph
5 above and to pay particular attention to the location and integration
of the system components when installing such systems. It needs to
be emphasized that it is a condition of acceptance of such installations
to demonstrate satisfactory performance in adverse weather conditions.
7 The Committee, at its seventy-seventh session
(27 May to 6 June 2003), agreed that work on this issue should continue.
Until the study is completed, however, and any revised measures are
agreed by the Organization, it is recommended that due caution is
exercised when installing, testing, launching and operating fast rescue
boats, particularly where high launch heights are involved.
8 The Committee urges those parties with an interest
in the design, installation, testing, approval, survey and operation
of FRB systems to assist the Organization in the work it is undertaking
on this issue. In particular, interested parties are urged to provide,
to the DE and STW Sub-Committees, through the relevant Member Governments
and/or international organizations, information, comments and proposals
for improvement of FRB systems, including those that have already
been installed, noting especially the factors identified in paragraph
5 above.