Article 10
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Statutory Documents - ILO Conventions - ILO 92 - International Labour Conference (ILO) Convention No. 92 - Convention concerning Crew Accommodation on Board Ship (Revised 1949) - Articles - Part III. Crew Accommodation Requirements - Article 10

Article 10

  1. Sleeping rooms shall be situated above the load line amidships or aft.

  2. In exceptional cases the competent authority may, if the size, type or intended service of the ship render any other location unreasonable or impracticable, permit the location of sleeping rooms in the fore part of the ship, but in no case forward of the collision bulkhead.

  3. In passenger ships the competent authority may, on condition that satisfactory arrangements are made for lighting and ventilation, permit the location of sleeping rooms below the load line, but in no case immediately beneath working alley-ways.

  4. The floor area per person of sleeping rooms intended for ratings shall be not less than—

  • (a) 20 sq. ft. or 1.85 sq. m. in vessels under 800 tons;

  • (b) 25 sq. ft. or 2.35 sq. m. in vessels of 800 tons or over, but under 3,000 tons;

  • (c) 30 sq. ft. or 2.78 sq. m. in vessels of 3,000 tons or over:

Provided that, in the case of ships in which more than four ratings are berthed in one room, the minimum per person may be 24 sq. ft. (2.22 sq. m.).

  5. In the case of ships in which are employed such groups of ratings as necessitate the employment of a substantially larger number of ratings than would otherwise be employed, the competent authority may, in respect of such groups, reduce the minimum floor area of sleeping rooms per person, subject to the conditions that—

  • (a) the total sleeping space allotted to the group or groups is not less than would have been allotted had the numbers not been so increased, and

  • (b) the minimum floor area of sleeping rooms is not less than—

    • (i) 18 sq. ft. (1.67 sq. m.) per person in ships under 3,000 tons;

    • (ii) 20 sq. ft. (1.85 sq. m.) per person in ships of 3,000 tons or over.

  6. Space occupied by berths and lockers, chests of drawers and seats shall be included in the measurement of the floor area. Small or irregularly shaped spaces which do not add effectively to the space available for free movement and cannot be used for installing furniture shall be excluded.

  7. The clear head room in crew sleeping rooms shall not be less than 6 ft. 3 ins. (190 cm.).

  8. There shall be a sufficient number of sleeping rooms to provide a separate room or rooms for each department: Provided that the competent authority may relax this requirement in the case of small ships.

  9. The number of persons allowed to occupy sleeping rooms shall not exceed the following maxima:

  • (a) officers in charge of a department, navigating and engineer officers in charge of a watch and senior radio officers or operators: one person per room;

  • (b) other officers: one person per room wherever possible, and in no case more than two;

  • (c) petty officers: one or two persons per room, and in no case more than two;

  • (d) other ratings: two or three persons per room wherever possible, and in no case more than four.

  10. With a view to ensuring adequate and more comfortable accommodation the competent authority may, after consultation with the organisations of shipowners and/or the shipowners and the bona fide trade unions of seafarers, grant permission to accommodate up to ten ratings per sleeping room in the case of certain passenger ships.

  11. The maximum number of persons to be accommodated in any sleeping room shall be indelibly and legibly marked in some place in the room where it can conveniently be seen.

  12. Members of the crew shall be provided with individual berths.

  13. Berths shall not be placed side by side in such a way that access to one berth can be obtained only over another.

  14. Berths shall not be arranged in tiers of more than two; in the case of berths placed along the ship's side, there shall be only a single tier where a sidelight is situated above a berth.

  15. The lower berth in a double tier shall be not less than 12 ins. (30 cm.) above the floor; the upper berth shall be placed approximately midway between the bottom of the lower berth and the lower side of the deckhead beams.

  16. The minimum inside dimensions of a berth shall be 6 ft. 3 ins. by 2 ft. 3 ins. (190 cm. by 68 cm.).

  17. The framework and the lee-board, if any, of a berth shall be of approved material, hard, smooth, and not likely to corrode or to harbour vermin.

  18. If tubular frames are used for the construction of berths, they shall be completely sealed and without perforations which would give access to vermin.

  19. Each berth shall be fitted with a spring bottom or a spring mattress and with a mattress of approved material. Stuffing of straw or other material likely to harbour vermin shall not be used.

  20. When one berth is placed over another a dust-proof bottom of wood, canvas or other suitable material shall be fitted beneath the spring bottom of the upper berth.

  21. Sleeping rooms shall be so planned and equipped as to ensure reasonable comfort for the occupants and to facilitate tidiness.

  22. The furniture shall include a clothes locker for each occupant. The clothes lockers shall be not less than 5 ft. (152 cm.) in height and of a cross-section area of 300 sq. ins. (19.30 sq. decimetres) and shall be fitted with a shelf and a hasp for a padlock. The padlock shall be provided by the occupant.

  23. Each sleeping room shall be provided with a table or desk, which may be of the fixed, dropleaf or slide-out type, and with comfortable seating accommodation as necessary.

  24. The furniture shall be of smooth, hard material not liable to warp or corrode.

  25. The drawer or equivalent space for each occupant shall be not less than 2 cu. ft. (.056 cu. m.).

  26. Sleeping rooms shall be fitted with curtains for the sidelights.

  27. Sleeping rooms shall be fitted with a mirror, small cabinets for toilet requisites, a book rack and a sufficient number of coat hooks.

  28. As far as practicable berthing of crew members shall be so arranged that watches are separated and that no daymen share a room with watch-keepers.

Parent topic: Part III. Crew Accommodation Requirements
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