SAF-008 - Lifesaving Equipment- Short Term Dispensation To Carry A Number Of Persons In Excess Of That Allowed By The Safety Equipment Certificate

Marine Notice

SAF-008

R

ev. 07/20

TO: ALL SHIPOWNERS, OPERATORS, MASTERS AND OFFICERS OF

MERCHANT SHIPS, AGENTS AND RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS

SUBJECT: Lifesaving Equipment- Short Term Dispensation to Carry a Number of Persons in Excess of that allowed by the Safety Equipment Certificate

Reference: (a) Maritime Regulation 2.35

1. SOLAS 1978, as amended, Chapter III
2. 2009, 1989 and 1979 MODU Codes Chapters 10 and 11
3. LSA Code, as amended
4. Maritime Labour Convention, as amended (for Ships)
5. ILO 92 and 133 (for MODUs)
6. MARPOL Annex IV

Supersedes: Marine Notice SAF-001, dated 06/12 PURPOSE:

This Notice provides guidance interpretation and clarification of the Liberian Administration’s policy regarding Short Term Dispensations to Carry a Number of Persons in Excess of that allowed by the Safety Equipment Certificate.

APPLICABILITY:

This Notice applies to Owners, Masters, Ship Officers and authorized Recognized Organization (RO) (the vessel's Classification Society which has been recognized and authorized to act on behalf of the Liberian Administration) and addresses several SOLAS and MODU Code requirements which have been established by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner.

REQUIREMENTS:

1.0 On occasion, it may be necessary for a vessel to temporarily carry persons on board in excess of the maximum number of persons authorized by the vessel’s Safety Equipment Certificate or MODU/MOU Safety Certificate, as applicable. When physically possible, the installed lifeboats should be recertified to provide the necessary capacity. If the existing lifeboats are already certified to their maximum capacity, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner may allow, for legitimate verifiable reasons, the substitution of inflatable life raft capacity appropriately installed in accordance with regulatory requirements to augment the required lifeboat complement as a temporary measure of equivalency.

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. Temporary measures will be limited to the minimum period of time required for the additional persons to be on board, and in general will not exceed three (3) months. This accommodation will only be allowed with the specific approval of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, provided:

• 1. The additional persons are limited to a reasonable number;

• 1. Additional life rafts are installed on the vessel in order to maintain the minimum survival craft capacity for all persons on board. Additional life rafts will not be required if existing life raft are less than 185kg and can be easily transferred from side-to-side on the same open deck;

• 1. The necessary additional personal life-saving appliances are provided;

• 1. Immersions suits are provided for the additional persons if the vessel will transit above 32 degrees North or 32 degrees South;

• 1. The vessel does reasonably adhere to the appropriate accommodation provisions of the References (e) or (f) as appropriate;

• 1. The vessel has adequate sewage treatment/comminutor/holding tank capacity for the total number of persons on board;

• 1. The vessel’s Master shall ensure that the additional persons are briefed on the vessel’s evacuation and emergency procedures prior to the vessel getting underway.

1. For the temporary carriage of additional persons for a period of 30 days or more the Recognized Organization that classed the vessel will be instructed to issue the vessel a short term Safety Equipment Certificate authorizing the increase in the maximum number of persons onboard. For periods of less than 30 days the Administration will issue an authorization letter permitting the carriage of the additional persons.

1. The vessel’s Master shall ensure that the procedures in the vessel’s approved ship security plan are followed regarding accounting for and identifying all persons on board. The vessel’s Master shall ensure that all of the additional persons have proper identification and, if applicable, passports prior to the vessel getting underway with the additional persons on board. The names and identification documents for each additional person must be entered on the vessel’s muster list or other appropriate document in accordance with the approved ship security plan. Without this information, the vessel may be denied entry into ports with the additional persons on board. When entering a port the ship must notify the port authorities that the additional persons are on board.

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SAF-008 2 of 2 Rev. 07/20

The Republic of Liberia