1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-sixth
session (2 to 13 December 2002), considered recommendations for decision-making
emanating from several formal safety assessment (FSA) studies on bulk
carrier safety covering all aspects of design, equipment and operation
of these ships. In particular, while recognizing that replacing hatch
covers in existing bulk carriers would not be cost-effective, the
Committee agreed that more attention should be paid to hatch cover
securing mechanisms and the issue of horizontal loads, especially
with regard to maintenance and frequency of inspection.
2 The Committee, at its seventy-seventh session
(28 May to 6 June 2003), having considered a recommendation made by
the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment at its forty-sixth
session, approved the Guidelines for bulk carrier hatch cover surveys
and owner's inspections and maintenance, set out in the annex.
3 Member Governments are invited to ensure that
companies, as defined in the ISM Code, that
operate bulk carriers flying their flag are made aware of the need
to implement regular maintenance and inspection procedures for hatch
cover closing mechanisms in existing bulk carriers in order to ensure
proper operation and efficiency at all times, as provided in the annexed
Guidelines.
4 Member Governments are further invited to ensure
that classification societies acting on their behalf that are involved
in the survey of bulk carrier hatch covers are also made aware of,
and observe, the survey procedures outlined in the Guidelines.