THE SAFETY OF SMALL WORKBOATS & PILOT BOATS - A CODE OF PRACTICE READY FOR PUBLICATION VERSION R-9B; October 1997 THIS COPY PRINTED ON - 4 May 2001 The Marine Safety Agency Spring Place 105 Commercial Road Southampton SO15 1EG Telephone: 01703 329 100 Facsimile: 01703 329 161 THE SAFETY OF SMALL WORKBOATS & PILOT BOATS - A CODE OF PRACTICE CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT, STABILITY, OPERATION, MANNING, EXAMINATION, CERTIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF VESSELS OF UP TO 24 METRES LOAD LINE LENGTH WHICH ARE IN COMMERCIAL USE FOR THE CARRIAGE OF CARGO AND/OR NOT MORE THAN 12 PASSENGERS OR NEITHER CARGO NOR PASSENGERS; AND PILOT BOATS. The Marine Safety Agency Spring Place 105 Commercial Road Southampton SO15 1EG Telephone: 01703 329 100 Facsimile: 01703 329 161 CONTENTS Section ................................................................................................................Heading .......................................................................................................................Page 1 FOREWORD.................................................................................................. 1 2 DEFINITIONS .............................................................................................. 5 3 APPLICATION AND INTERPRETATION ............................................... 12 3.1 Application........................................................................................... 12 3.2 Areas of Operation............................................................................... 12 3.3 Certification......................................................................................... 12 3.4 Sport Diving, Sea Angling and Other Water Based Recreation Activities.............................................................................................. 12 3.5 Interpretation........................................................................................ 13 3.6 Updating of the Code........................................................................... 13 3.7 Vessels Operating in Protected Waters and/or a Restricted Service - Equivalent Safety Standards.................................................. 13 3.8 Equivalent Standards............................................................................ 14 4 CONSTRUCTION AND STRUCTURAL STRENGTH ........................... 15 4.1 General Requirements.......................................................................... 15 4.2 Structural Strength............................................................................... 15 4.2.1 General................................................................................................. 15 4.2.2 Construction materials.......................................................................... 15 4.2.3 New vessels.......................................................................................... 16 4.2.4 Existing vessels.................................................................................... 16 4.3 Decks................................................................................................... 17 4.3.1 Weather deck....................................................................................... 17 4.3.2 Recesses............................................................................................... 17 4.4 Watertight Bulkheads........................................................................... 17 4.5 Inflatable Boats.................................................................................... 18 4.5.1 General................................................................................................. 18 4.5.2 Construction materials.......................................................................... 19 4.5.3 New inflatable boats............................................................................. 19 4.5.4 Existing inflatable boats ....................................................................... 20 5 WEATHERTIGHT INTEGRITY................................................................ 21 5.1 Hatchways and Hatches and other Openings ........................................ 21 5.1.1 General requirements ........................................................................... 21 5.1.2 Hatches which are open at sea.............................................................. 21 5.2 Doorways and Companionways ........................................................... 21 5.2.1 Doorways located above the weather deck........................................... 22 5.2.2 Companion hatch openings .................................................................. 22 5.3 Skylights.............................................................................................. 22 5.4 Portlights and Windows ....................................................................... 23 5.5 Ventilators and Exhausts...................................................................... 24 5.6 Air Pipes .............................................................................................. 24 5.7 Sea Inlets and Discharges..................................................................... 25 5.8 Materials for Valves and Associated Piping ......................................... 25 6 WATER FREEING ARRANGEMENTS .................................................... 26 7 MACHINERY................................................................................................ 27 7.1 General Requirements.......................................................................... 27 7.2 Diesel Engines ..................................................................................... 27 7.3 Petrol Engines .................................................................................... 27 7.3.1 New vessels.......................................................................................... 27 7.3.2 Existing vessels.................................................................................... 28 7.4 Installation........................................................................................... 29 7.5 Engine Starting..................................................................................... 30 7.6 Portable Plant ....................................................................................... 30 7.7 Stowage of Petrol................................................................................. 30 8 ELECTRICAL ARRANGEMENTS............................................................ 31 8.1 General................................................................................................. 31 8.2 Systems................................................................................................ 31 8.3 Batteries............................................................................................... 32 8.4 Cables.................................................................................................. 33 8.5 Lighting ............................................................................................... 33 8.6 Hazardous Spaces ................................................................................ 33 8.7 Reference Standards............................................................................. 34 9 STEERING GEAR, RUDDER AND PROPELLER SYSTEMS .............. 35 9.1 Steering Gear ....................................................................................... 35 9.2 Rudder System..................................................................................... 35 9.3 Propeller System.................................................................................. 35 10 BILGE PUMPING......................................................................................... 36 10.1 Vessels of 15 metres in Length and Over ............................................. 36 10.2 Vessels of Less than 15 metres in Length............................................. 36 10.3 Bilge Alarms ........................................................................................ 37 11 INTACT AND DAMAGE STABILITY ...................................................... 38 11.1 New Vessels......................................................................................... 38 11.1.1 General............................................................................................................. 38 11.1.2 Intact stability of new vessels of less than 15 metres in length and carrying cargo or a combination of passengers and cargo weighing more than 1000kg and new vessels of 15 metres in length and over..................................................................................... 38 11.1.3 Intact stability of new vessels of less than 15 metres in length which carry cargo or a combination of passengers and cargo weighing not more than 1000kg........................................................................... 40 11.1.4 Damage stability of new vessels of 15 metres in length and over or which are certificated to carry 15 or more persons or which are certificated to operate in area category 1 .............................................. 41 11.2 Existing Vessels ................................................................................... 42 11.2.1 General............................................................................................................. 42 11.2.2 Intact stability of existing vessels of less than 15 metres in length which carry cargo or a combination of passengers and cargo weighing