Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 (Act No. 57 of 1951)

Schedules

Second Schedule

Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974

Annex

Chapter III : Live-Saving Appliances, etc.

Part B — Passenger Ships Only

Regulation 27 : Lifeboats, liferafts and buoyant apparatus

Purchase

(a)

Passenger ships shall carry two boats attached to davits—one on each side of the ship—for use in an emergency. These boats shall be of an approved type and shall be not more than 8,5 metres (28 feet) in length. They may be counted for the purposes of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Regulation, provided that they comply fully with the requirements for lifeboats of this Chapter, and for the purposes of Regulation 8 provided that in addition they comply fully with the requirements of Regulation 9 and where appropriate Regulation 14 of this Chapter. They shall be kept ready for immediate use while the ship is at sea. In ships in which the requirements of paragraph (h) of Regulation 29 are met by means of appliances fitted to the sides of the lifeboats, such appliances shall not be required to be fitted to the two boats provided to meet the requirements of this Regulation.

(b)	Passenger ships engaged on international voyages which are not short international voyages shall carry—

(i)

lifeboats on each side of such aggregate capacity as will accommodate half the total number of persons on board: Provided that the Administration may permit the substitution of lifeboats by liferafts of the same total capacity so however that there shall never be less than sufficient lifeboats on each side of the ship to accommodate 37½ per cent of all on board;

(ii)

liferafts of sufficient aggregate capacity to accommodate 25 percent of the total number of persons on board, together with buoyant apparatus for 3 per cent of that number: Provided that ships which have a factor of subdivision of 0,33 or less shall be permitted to carry, in lieu of liferafts for 25 per cent of all on board and buoyant apparatus for 3 per cent of all on board, buoyant apparatus for 25 per cent of that number.

(c)

(i)

A passenger ship engaged on short international voyages shall be provided with sets of davits in accordance with its length as specified in Column A of the Table in Regulation 28 of this Chapter. Each set of davits shall have a lifeboat attached to it and these lifeboats shall provide at least the minimum capacity required by Column C of the Table or the capacity required to provide accommodation for all on board if this is less. Provided that when in the opinion of the Administration it is impracticable or unreasonable to place on a ship engaged on short international voyages the number of sets of davits required by Column A of the Table in Regulation 28, the Administration may authorize, under exceptional conditions, a smaller number of davits, except that this number shall never be less than the minimum number fixed by Column B of the Table, and that the total capacity of the lifeboats on the ship will be at least equal to the minimum capacity required by Column C or the capacity required to provide for all persons on board if this is less.

(ii)	If the lifeboats so provided are not sufficient to accommodate all on board, additional lifeboats under davits or liferafts shall be provided so that the accommodation provided in the lifeboats and the liferafts in the ship shall be sufficient for all on board.

(iii)

Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph in any ship engaged on short international voyages the number of persons carried shall not exceed the total capacity of the lifeboats provided in accordance with subparagraphs (i) and

(ii)	of this paragraph unless the Administration considers that this is necessitated by the volume of traffic and then only if the ship complies with the provisions of paragraph (d) of Regulation 1 of Chapter II-1.

(iv)

Where under the provisions of subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph the Administration has permitted the carriage of persons in excess of the lifeboat capacity and is satisfied that it is impracticable in that ship to stow the liferafts carried in accordance with subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph it may permit a reduction in the number of lifeboats.

Provided that—

(1)

the number of lifeboats shall, in the case of ships of 58 metres (190 feet) in length and over, never be less than four, two of which shall be carried on each side of the ship, and in the case of ships of less than 58 metres (190 feet) in length, shall never be less than two, one of which shall be carried on each side of the ship; and

(2)	the number of lifeboats and liferafts shall always be sufficient to accommodate the total number of persons on board.

(v)

Every passenger ship engaged on short international voyages shall carry in addition to the lifeboats and liferafts required by the provisions of this paragraph, liferafts sufficient to accommodate 10 per cent of the total number of persons for whom there is accommodation in the lifeboats carried in that ship.

(vi)	Every passenger ship engaged on short international voyages shall also carry buoyant apparatus for at least 5 per cent of the total number of persons on board.

(vii)

The Administration may permit individual ships or classes of ships with short international voyage certificates to proceed on voyages in excess of 600 miles but not exceeding 1200 miles if such ships comply with the provisions of paragraph (d) of Regulation 1 of Chapter II-1, if they carry lifeboats which provide for 75 per cent of the persons on board and otherwise comply with the provisions of this paragraph.