Equivelant Arrangement under Regulation I-5 Life Saving Appliances – Statement by G-B I.S.R

C23016 | 24 March 2023

Notice to: Ship Owners/ Managers/ Operators / Surveyors/ Auditors / Service Suppliers

The G-B INTERNATIONAL (International Ships Registry of Guinea-Bissau) has issued Marine Circular Nr. 01/2023, on 13 March 2023 with immediate effect to notify all interested parties that manual operation is permitted for launching appliances of light rescue boats and gives notification of the equivalent as per applicable paragraphs of the LSA Code under the provisions of regulation I/5 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention.

Regulations III/17 and III/16 of SOLAS

Regulations III/17 and III/16 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) require the launching appliance for the rescue boat to comply with the requirements of Section 6.1 of the International Life-Saving Appliances Code (LSA Code).

The Equivalent Arrangement

The G-B ISR considers that the manual handling of a light rescue boat on cargo ships, which is not one of the ship’s survival craft, served by a crane that has to be slewed in the outboard position for lowering the boat into the water by gravity, could be regarded as an equivalent arrangement of stored mechanical power as required in paragraph 6.1.1.3 of the LSA Code because the use of a hand-operated mechanism simplifies the davit construction and improves substantially the reliability.

Notification of Acceptance by G-B I.S.R.

Bearing in mind the above the G-B I.S.R. gives notification of acceptance of the following equivalent arrangement under the provision of Regulation I/5 of SOLAS 74:

The G-B ISR accepts and notifies that the slewing of the launching appliance, possible by one person against an adverse list of 20 degrees and a trim of 10 degrees, lowering the boat into the water by gravity, can be considered under the provision of Regulation 5(a) of Chapter I of SOLAS, as equivalent to the requirements of paragraph 6.1.1.3 of the LSA Code regarding the stored mechanical power for rescue boat launching appliances under the following conditions:
(a) The vessel is equipped with a rescue boat with a minimum capacity of 6 persons, which is not one of the vessel’s survival crafts, having a weight of less than 6000 N in fully equipped condition, with the engine, but without the crew.
(b) A Rescue Boat can be manually hoisted from its cradle to clear stanchions by a mechanical hand-operated winch.
(c) The embarkation and launching procedure of the rescue boat of the vessel shall be such that the appropriate time does not exceed (3) minutes.
(d) The launching appliance shall comply with paragraphs 1 and 2 of section 6.1 of the LSA Code, in all other aspects.

The above equivalent arrangements are being notified to the IMO in accordance with SOLAS Regulation I-5.

Act now

Ship Owners/ Managers/ Operators/ Service Suppliers should take into consideration all the above and ensure compliance of G-B INTERNATIONAL (International Ships Registry of Guinea-Bissau) vessels and Surveyors/ Auditors should confirm the said equivalent arrangement compliance (if fitted) during surveys / audits as appropriate. The above circular has immediate effect.