1 The international conventions ratified in respect
of conventional ships and the regulations applied as a consequence
of such conventions have largely been developed having in mind the
manner in which conventional ships are constructed and operated. Traditionally,
ships have been built of steel and with the minimum of operational
controls. The requirements for ships engaged on long international
voyages are therefore framed in such a way that, providing the ship
is presented for survey and a ship safety certificate is issued, the
ship may go anywhere in the world without any operational restrictions
being imposed. Providing the ship is not involved in a casualty, all
that: is needed is that it is made available to the Administration
for the purpose of a satisfactory resurvey before the ship safety
certificate expires and the certificate will be reissued.
2 The traditional method of regulating ships should
not be accepted as being the only possible way of providing an appropriate
level of safety. Nor should it be assumed that another approach, using
different criteria, could not be applied. Over a long period of years,
numerous new designs of marine vehicles have been developed and have
been in service. While these do not fully comply with the provisions
of the international conventions relating to conventional ships built
of steel, they have demonstrated an ability to operate at an equivalent
level of safety when engaged on restricted voyages under restricted
operational weather conditions and with approved maintenance and supervision
schedules.
3 This Code has been derived from the previous
Code of Safety for Dynamically Supported Craft (DSC) adopted by IMO
in 1977. The Code recognized that safety levels can be significantly
enhanced by the infrastructure associated with regular service on
a particular route, whereas the conventional ship safety philosophy
relies on the ship being self-sustaining with all necessary emergency
equipment being carried on board. This revised Code has been prepared
in recognition of the growth in size and types of high speed craft
now existing and is intended to facilitate future research and development
of fast sea transportation in order that they may be accepted internationally.
4 The safety philosophy of this Code is based
on the management and reduction of risk as well as the traditional
philosophy of passive protection in the event of an accident. Management
of risk through accommodation arrangement, active safety systems,
restricted operation, quality management and human factors engineering
should be considered in evaluating safety equivalent to current conventions.
Application of mathematical analysis should be encouraged to assess
risk and determine the validity of safety measures.
5 The Code takes into account that a high speed
craft is of a light displacement compared with a conventional ship.
This displacement aspect is the essential parameter to obtain fast
and competitive sea transportation and consequently this Code allows
for use of non-conventional shipbuilding materials, provided that
a safety standard at least equivalent to conventional ships is achieved.
6 To clearly distinguish such craft, criteria
based on speed and volumetric Froude number have been used to delineate
those craft to which this Code applies from other, more conventional,
craft.
7 The Code requirements also reflect the additional
hazards which may be caused by the high speed compared with conventional
ship transportation. Thus, in addition to the normal requirements
including life-saving appliances, evacuation facilities, etc., provided
in case of an accident occurring, further emphasis is placed on reducing
the risk of hazardous situations arising Some advantages result from
the high speed craft concept, i.e. the light displacement provides
a large reserve buoyancy in relation to displacement, reducing the
hazards addressed by the International Load Line Convention. The consequences
of other hazards such as of collision at high speed are balanced by
more stringent navigational and operational requirements and specially
developed accommodation provisions.
8 The above-mentioned safety concepts were originally
reflected in the Code of Safety for Dynamically Supported Craft. The
development of novel types and sizes of craft has led to the development
of pressures within the maritime industry for craft which are not
dynamically supported cargo craft, passenger craft carrying larger
numbers of passengers or operating further afield than permitted by
that Code to be certified according to those concepts. Additionally,
improvements of maritime safety standards since 1977 were required
to be reflected in the revisions of the Code to maintain safety equivalence
with conventional ships.
9 Accordingly, two differing principles of protection
and rescue were developed.
10 The first of these recognizes the craft which
were originally foreseen at the time of development of the DSC Code.
Where rescue assistance is readily available and the total number
of passengers is limited, a reduction in passive and active protection
may be permitted. Such craft are called "assisted craft" and form
the basis for "category A passenger craft" of this Code.
11 The second concept recognizes the further development
of high speed craft into larger craft. Where rescue assistance is
not readily available or the number of passengers is unlimited, additional
passive and active safety precautions are required. These additional
requirements provide for an area of safe refuge on board, redundancy
of vital systems, increased watertight and structural integrity and
full fire-extinguishing capability. Such craft are called "unassisted
craft" and form the basis for "cargo craft" and "category B passenger
craft" of this Code.
12 These two concepts of the Code have been developed
as a unified document on the basis that an equivalent level of safety
to that normally expected on ships complying with the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea is achieved. Where
the application of new technology or design indicates an equivalent
safety level to the strict application of the Code, the Administration
is permitted to formally recognize such equivalence.
13 It is important that an Administration, in
considering the suitability of a high speed craft under this Code,
should apply all sections of the Code because non-compliance with
any part of the Code could result in an imbalance which would adversely
affect the safety of the craft, passengers and crew. For a similar
reason, modifications to existing craft, which may have an effect
on safety, should be approved by the Administration.
14 In developing the Code, it has been considered
desirable to ensure that high speed craft do not impose unreasonable
demands on existing users of the environment or conversely suffer
unnecessarily through lack of reasonable accommodation by existing
users. Whatever burden of compatibility there is, it should not necessarily
be laid wholly on the high speed craft.