INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA, 1974
Equivalent arrangements accepted under regulation I/5
Release mechanisms on rescue boats
Statement by the Government of the Netherlands
The Secretary - General of the International Maritme Organization has the honour to transmit herewith the text of a statement by the Government of the Netherlands under regulation I/5 of the above Convention.
The Secretary - General would be grateful if steps could be taken to bring this information to the attention of the appropriate authorities.
Statement by the Government of the Netherlands
Regulation III/48.1.4 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires the launching mechanism to be arranged in such a way that it may be actualed by one person from a position on the ship's deck and from a position within the survival craft or rescue boat.
It is the view of the Netherlands that on passenger ships equipped with lifeboats with a capacity up to 150 persons and divit launched liferafts this requirement renders unnecessary technical problems with remote control wires of lifeboat davits.
Generally the lifeboats are lowered by a number of crew members, trained in the handling and launching of survival craft, assigned that task in the ship's muster list. After completion of this task these crew members disembark the ship using a davit-launched liferaft.
In view of the above, the Netherlands gives notification of the following equivalent arrangement to regulation III/48.1.4. under the provisions of regulation I/5 of the above Convention:
"On passengerships equipped with lifeboats and divit-launched liferafts, the lifeboat launching mechanisms may be arranged for launching from a position on the ship's deck only, provided that the musterlist and abandon-ship procedures clearly indicate which persons are responsible for launching the lifeboats and arrangements are made for those persons to disembark the ship by means of a davit - launched liferaft."