MAN-001 - Manning Of Vessels And Principles Of Watchkeeping

Rev. 11/22

TO: ALL SHIPOWNERS, OPERATORS, MASTERS AND OFFICERS OF MERCHANT

SHIPS, AND AUTHORIZED CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

SUBJECT: Manning of Vessels and Principles of Watchkeeping

References: (a) Maritime Regulation 10.292

1. International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972,

(COLREGS)

1. International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and

Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended

1. Liberian Marine Notice RLM 118
2. Global Marine Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) requirements
3. SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 14
4. IMO Resolution A.1047(27)

Supersedes: Marine Notice MAN-001, dated 02/21

The following changes have been included:

1. A new definition is included for “Ship’s Cook”
2. A new Section 12.1.9 added re: providing a cook for vessel with a manning of 10 or more.
3. A new Note 5 has been added to the manning scales contained in Section 12.2.1 to address the requirement for provision f a ship’s cook.

PURPOSE:

This Notice promulgates the Administration’s requirements for the safe manning of vessels, except Mobile Offshore Units which are now contained in MAN-004.

This incorporates the requirements of reference (g) with the minimum number of seafarers of specific ranks and ratings further described in RLM-118 “Requirements for Merchant Marine Personnel Certification” to meet the minimum requirements in accordance with SOLAS 74 V/14.

Inquiries concerning the subject of this Notice should be directed to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Republic of Liberia, the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry, 22980 Indian Creek Drive., Suite 200, Dulles, VA 20166, USA. The most current version of all Marine Notices are available in the Online Library at: http://www.liscr.com

• 1. Definitions:

• 1. Able Seafarer Deck: a rating qualified in accordance with the provisions of regulation II/5 of International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended.
  2. Able Seafarer Engine: a rating qualified in accordance with the provisions of regulation III/5 of International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended.
  3. Administration: the Government of the State whose flag the vessel is entitled to fly.
  4. Coastal State Administration: the Government of the coastal State concerned in cases where a MOU is engaged in exploration for, or exploitation of, the sea-bed and subsoil thereof, adjacent to the coast over which the coastal State exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploration and exploitation of their natural resources.
  5. Documentary evidence: documentation, other than a certificate of competency or certificate of proficiency, used to establish that the relevant requirements of the Convention have been met.
  6. High Voltage: Over 1000V; where voltage is generated and distributed at high voltage or transformed to and distributed at high voltage. It does not include systems where high voltage is utilized locally e.g. ignition systems, radio transmission, radar and other navigational equipment.
  7. Maritime safety training: training with respect to safety of life at sea, including personal and group survival.
  8. Rating means a member of the ship’s crew other than the master or an officer.

• 1. Ship’s Cook – a crewmember trained and certified in accordance with Regulation A.3.2 of MLC, 2006 and STCW Regulation VI/I.
  2. Station Bill (may also be called Muster list): the list prescribed by an international convention or recommendation, which applies to the unit. If no convention or recommendation applies, a similar list which indicates essential information on actions to be taken in the event of an emergency, in particular the station to which each person should go and the duties which that person should perform including the designation of individual responsibilities for the safety of others. Also, the use of bunk cards at each bunk reminds of the alarm signals and lifeboat/liferaft assignment.

2.0 APPLICABILITY: This Notice is applicable to all Liberian flagged vessels except Mobile Offshore Units and other vessels engaged in the offshore oil industry trade; the Manning requirements for this group may be found in Marine Notice MAN-004.

• 1. REQUIREMENTS:

• 1. Principles of Safe Manning: The following outlines the Administration’s policy on the principles of safe manning addressed by Liberian Maritime Regulation 10.292.

• 1. Sufficient Number of Qualified Persons
• There shall always be sufficient number of qualified persons on board to deal with peak workload conditions; for example: mooring or unmooring, tank cleaning in tankers, or preparation of cargo holds in dry cargo vessels.
• There shall always be a sufficient number of qualified persons in a watch to perform any required duties plus general surveillance of the vessel, such as fire patrols, investigation of unusual noises, protection of crew members working over the side or within enclosed spaces, or the initial stages of a man overboard situation.

3.3 Watches

• • 1. Except for ships of 3,000 GT or less, the Master should not keep a regular navigation or engineering watch.
    2. Except for ships of less than 3,000 kW the Chief Engineer should not keep a regular navigation or engineering watch.
    3. Except in ships of 3,000 GT or less or 3,000 kW or less, as applicable, or vessels on limited voyages or engaged in special occupations, a three-watch system should be adopted for both navigational and engine room watches (unless the vessel is certified for unattended machinery operations).
    4. As the bridge and engine watch are normally limited in numbers, there should always be a routine for providing additional assistance without delay. The standby personnel shall be identified and immediately available.

• 1. Survival Craft/Rescue Boat Crewmen for other than Fast Rescue Boats

• 1. Two (2) Survival craft/rescue boat crewmen are required for each lifeboat on ships in accordance with the SOLAS Convention. One person shall be designated the person -in-charge and another designated the second-in-command. Both the person-in-charge and the secondin-command shall be identified by clearly marked life jackets. In addition to the certified survival craft/rescue boat crewmen assigned to each motor lifeboat, there shall be a certified engineer or rating capable of starting the lifeboat engine and troubleshooting minor engine problems.
  2. On passenger ships, survival craft/rescue boat crewmen are required for lifeboats in accordance with the scale given below as a standard for general guidance:

.1 Complement of Number of Certified Other Assigned

LIFEBOATSURVIVAL CRAFTSMEN CREWMEMBERS

40 or less persons 2 - 41 to 61 persons 3 -

62 to 85 persons 3 2 86 or more persons 3 4

.2 Where more than two (2) survival craft/rescue boat crewmen are required for a motor lifeboat, one of the survival craft/rescue boat crewmen may be the required certified engineer or engine rating capable of starting the lifeboat engine and troubleshooting minor engine problems.

4.3 On passenger ships, the other assigned crewmembers who are not certified survival craft/rescue boat crewmen should be selected on the basis of their ability to remain calm, help others during a period of stress, and follow the directions of the certified survival craft/rescue boat crewman in charge of the lifeboat. Their documented training should include at least:

• the proper way to put on the Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) and how to instruct others,
• where applicable, how to put on Thermal Protective Aids (TPAs) and how to instruct others,
• where the fire extinguisher is and how to use it,
• where the pyrotechnics are and how to use them,
• where the provisions are and how to open them,
• where the bailers, buckets and bilge pump are and how to use them,
• where the first aid kit is,
• how to load and seat people safely in the boat,
• how to safely embark and disembark disabled persons and persons in need of assistance, and
• where the muster list is located and how to use it.

4.4 A survival craft/rescue boat crewman shall be carried for each liferaft on board a vessel, and one additional certified survival craft/rescue boat crewman shall be assigned to each davit- launched liferaft and rescue chute boarding station to supervise the launching and boarding activities.

5.0 Passenger Ship Personnel

Personnel serving on passenger ships, trained in accordance with Regulation V/2.3, Section A- V/2, paragraph 1, of STCW 1978, as amended, are required to be nominated on the muster list in sufficient number to assist the total number of passengers who may be on board at any one time in emergency situations and shall be included in the ship's Minimum Safe Manning complement.

6.0 Fast Rescue Boats

Fast rescue boats shall be crewed by at least two (2) survival craft/rescue boat crewmen specially trained and additionally certified in accordance with STCW Code Section A-VI/2,

“Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats.”

• 1. GMDSS Equipped Vessels

• 1. If there is no duplication of the GMDSS equipment on board and no shore-based maintenance employed by the vessel owner/operator, a dedicated radio maintainer must be on board who holds either a GMDSS-1st Class or GMDSS-2nd Class Radio Electronic Operator and Maintainer Certificate and is designated as having primary responsibility for radio communications during distress incidents.

• 1. For vessels sailing without a radio maintainer on board, at least two (2) deck officers are required to hold the GMDSS-General Operator Certificate. One (1) of the operators shall be designated as having primary responsibility for radio communications during distress incidents. Under these circumstances, there shall be duplicate GMDSS equipment on board, and shore- based maintenance service of the equipment contracted by the vessel owner/operator.

8.0 ECDIS Equipped Vessels: The officers involved with navigation on ECDIS equipped vessels will be certified as meeting the generic training identified in STCW Table A-II/1. The type specific ECDIS familiarization training will be included in the officers’ on board training record.

9.0 Unattended or Periodically Unattended Machinery Operations

In vessels certified for unattended or periodically unattended machinery operations, a sufficient number of qualified personnel must be carried to provide manual control of machinery in an emergency to enable the vessel to reach port. (See Marine Notice MAN-002).

• 1. Persons assigned electrical and electronic duties

• 1. The ship may carry persons who are assigned the specific duties, tasks and responsibilities relating to electrical and electronic tasks. If required to be carried, these persons shall be certified as Electro-Technical Officers or Electro-Technical Ratings and provide certification that they meet the requirements of STCW Regulations III/6 or III/7 respectively.

• 1. The Minimum Safe Manning Certificate will only include Electro-Technical Officers STCW III/6 and/or Electro-Technical Ratings STCW III/7 if the company has assigned duties to satisfy the requirements of:
     1. The maintenance of a safe engineering watch,
     2. Emergency as specified in the Muster List, and/or
     3. The maintenance of the ship’s electrical, electronic, and control systems.

11.0 High Voltage (over 1,000 volts): After 1 January 2017, Engineering Officers, and Electro Technical Officers serving on vessels with power plants rated over 1000 volts must show completion of a high voltage course, or national certification indicating compliance with the high voltage training requirements.

• 1. Minimum Safe Manning Certificates: The following are the Liberian Administration’s procedures for issuing Minimum Safe Manning Certificates.

• 1. Procedures:
     1. The scales presented in section 12.2 are standards for general guidance only. Minimum safe manning will be assessed on a ship-by-ship basis upon application to the Administration.
     2. Subject to the governing principle that the Master is at all times responsible for the safe operation of his vessel, the Master may, in his discretion, vary the numbers of personnel on any watch either by reduction under favorable conditions or by increasing the number of watch standers during unfavorable conditions such as periods of poor visibility or high traffic density.
     3. To request alternative manning the Administration will need to assess the
• minimum navigational crew required. To do this we will need to understand how the navigation watch and collateral duties required of the Master, Chief Mate, Navigational Watch Officer(s), and Deck Ratings who stand a navigation watch are distributed in a manner, which will provide opportunities for adequate rest.
• minimum manning for the engine room using the kilowatt (kW) power of machinery. When determining the total kW, the operator shall identify the aggregate of main propulsion machinery routinely operated. In addition, engine room layout and proximity to boiler rooms, etc., may be part of the evaluation. General arrangement plans and other data may be requested.

12.1.4 If a company submits a proposal for a change in the minimum safe manning level of a vessel, the proposal will be evaluated by the Administration to ensure that the tasks identified in reference (g) are addressed:

a. The capability to:

• maintain safe navigational, port, engineering and radio watches in accordance with regulation VIII/2 of the 1978 STCW Convention, as amended, and also maintain general surveillance of the ship;
• moor and unmoor the ship safely;
• manage the safety functions of the ship when employed in a stationary or near- stationary mode at sea;
• perform operations, as appropriate, for the prevention of damage to the marine environment;
• maintain the safety arrangements and the cleanliness of all accessible spaces to minimize the risk of fire;
• provide for medical care on board ship;
• ensure safe carriage of cargo during transit;
• inspect and maintain, as appropriate, the structural integrity of the ship; and operate in accordance with the approved Ship's Security Plan; and

b. The ability to operate:

• all watertight closing arrangements and maintain them in effective condition, and also deploy a competent damage control party;
• all onboard fire-fighting and emergency equipment and life-saving appliances, carry out such maintenance of this equipment as is required to be done at sea, and muster and disembark all persons on board; and
• the main propulsion and auxiliary machinery including pollution prevention equipment and maintain them in a safe condition to enable the ship to overcome the foreseeable perils of the voyage.

c. The following onboard functions, when applicable, should also be taken into account:

• ongoing training requirements for all personnel, including the operation and use of fire-fighting and emergency equipment, life-saving appliances and watertight closing arrangements;
• specialized training requirements for particular types of ships and in instances where crew members are engaged in shipboard tasks that cross departmental boundaries;
• provision of proper food and drinking water;
• need to undertake emergency duties and responsibilities; and
• need to provide training opportunities for entrant seafarers to allow them to gain the training and experience needed.

• • 1. The proposed vessel’s complement shall contain the number and grades/capacities of the personnel to fulfill the task, duties and responsibilities required for the safe operation of the vessel, for protection of the marine environment, and for dealing with emergency situations.
    2. The master, officers, and other members of the vessel’s complement shall not be required to work more hours than is safe in relation to the performance of their duties. The safety of the vessel and compliance with the requirements for work and rest hours shall be taken into account in accordance with applicable national regulations.
    3. If a General Purpose (GP) manning system is proposed, the Administration will require evidence that the ratings concerned have adequate training and experience. This would particularly apply if the proposed number of General Purpose ratings (GP-1s) is less than the total number required by the BASIC MANNING scales below.
    4. The Administration will only approve a proposal for the minimum safe manning level of a vessel and correspondingly issue a minimum safe manning document if it is fully satisfied that the proposed vessel’s complement is established in accordance with the principles, recommendations and guidelines contained in reference (g), and is adequate in all respects for the safe and secure operation of the vessel and for the protection of the marine environment.
    5. Ships with a manning of 10 or more crew shall be provided with a ship’s cook trained and certified in accordance with Regulation A.3.2 of MLC, 2006 and STCW Regulation VI/I. This will be indicated in the Notes on the Ship’s Minimum Safe Manning Certificate. Effective 1 December 2022, the Administration will include this provision on new minimum safe manning certificates for ships with a manning of 10 seafarers or more. All other minimum safe manning certificates shall include requirement for ship’s cooks at the next reissuance of the certificate or no later than 31 December 2023, whichever is earlier.

12.2 Standards for General Guidance (As provided in section 12.1.1, the scales presented in the table below are standards for general guidance only. Minimum safe manning will be assessed on a ship-by-ship basis upon application to the Administration. Operator recommended manning at or in excess of the below scales shall take precedence.)

12.2.1 Entry-level ratings (junior ordinary seafarer, wiper, or General Purpose Trainee (GPT) or cadet) are not part of the basic minimum safe manning watch standing complement.

MAN-001 9 of 12 Rev 11/22

The Republic of Liberia

Additional survival craft crewmen requirements for passenger vessels

*Where more than two (2) survival craft crewmen are required per craft, one of the crewmen may be the required certified engineer or engine rating capable of starting the lifeboat engine and correcting minor engine problems.

1. Watchkeeping arrangements shall be at the discretion of the Master but shall never be of lesser standards than those prescribed by the STCW, 1978, as amended thereafter and IMO Resolution A.1047(27), as amended.
2. All officers and ratings shall be licensed or rated in the grade listed or a grade above.
3. A rating with Basic Safety Training and training by the company as a lookout can replace one of the two required Ratings forming Part of a Navigational Watch (STCW II/4). Not applicable when only 1 Rating forming part of a Navigational Watch is required.
4. Classed for Periodically Unattended Machinery Operation: Unless there is a record of a satisfactory periodic Automation Notation survey completed by Class on board the vessel, two additional Engineering Watch Officers and one Additional Able Seafarer Engine are required
5. With a manning of ten (10) or more persons, a fully qualified cook certified in accordance with Regulation A. 3.2 of MLC, 2006 and STCW Regulation VI/I is required

MAN-001 10 of 12 Rev 11/22

The Republic of Liberia

• 1. Control Procedures
  2. Flag State:

11.1.1 The Administration will withdraw the minimum safe manning document of a vessel if:

• • • 1. The company fails to submit a new proposal for the vessel’s minimum safe manning level when the vessel changes its trading area(s),
      2. There are issues concerning construction, machinery, equipment, or operation and maintenance of the vessel that have taken place which affect the minimum safe manning level, or
      3. there are clear grounds for believing that the standards or the ability of the seafarers of the ship to maintain watchkeeping standards as required by STCW 1978, as amended, are not being maintained because of any of the following having occurred:
         • The ship has been involved in a collision, grounding, or stranding,
         • There has been a discharge of substances from the ship when underway, at anchor, or at berth which is illegal under any international convention,
         • The ship has been maneuvered in an erratic or unsafe manner whereby routing measures adopted by the IMO or safe navigation practices and procedures have not been followed,
         • The ship is otherwise being operated in such a manner as to pose a danger to persons, property, or the environment or the ship’s security has been compromised, or
         • The safety inspection and audit record for the vessel indicates that the manning level is not sufficient.
    1. The Administration will review and may withdraw, as appropriate, the minimum safe manning document of a vessel that persistently fails to be in compliance with requirements or is being operated in such a manner as to pose a danger to persons, property, or the environment or the ship’s security has been compromised.
    2. The Administration may withdraw and reissue a MSMC to require additional crew for any vessel that persistently fails to be in compliance with requirements concerning hours of work and rest (see section A VIII of International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended).

13.2 Port State Authorities

13.2.1 Regulation I/4 of SCTW 1978, as amended, enables Port State authorities to verify conditions on any ship, particularly to the qualifications and ability of personnel on board. Port State authorities may pay particular attention to the following:

MAN-001 11 of 12 Rev 11/22

The Republic of Liberia

• • • 1. That all seafarers on board who are required to be certificated hold an appropriate Liberian certificate or provide documentary proof that an application for an endorsement has been submitted to the Administration; and/or
      2. The numbers and certificates of the seafarers serving on board are in conformity with the applicable safe manning requirements of the Administration.

13.2.2 In accordance with section A-I/4 of the STCW Code, Port State authorities may assess the ability of the seafarers of the vessel to maintain watchkeeping standards as required by STCW 1978, as amended, if there are clear grounds for believing that such standards are not being maintained because any of the following having occurred:

• • • 1. the vessel has been involved in a collision, grounding, or stranding;
      2. there has been a discharge of substances from the vessel when underway, at anchor, or at berth which is illegal under any international convention;
      3. the vessel has been maneuvered in an erratic or unsafe manner whereby routing measures adopted by the IMO or safe navigation practices and procedures have not been followed; or
      4. the vessel is otherwise being operated in such a manner as to pose a danger to persons, property, or the environment.

* * * * *

MAN-001 12 of 12 Rev 11/22

The Republic of Liberia