Ref. T1/10 MSC/Circ.955
23 June 2000
1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-second session (17 to 26 May 2000), considered the servicing intervals of inflatable liferafts, inflatable lifejackets, marine evacuation systems, inflated rescue boats,hydrostaticreleaseunitsandsatelliteEPIRBs,requiredbyregulationsIII/20.8,III/20.9andIV/15.9 ofthe1974SOLASConvention,asamended,aswellasregulationsI/8andI/9ofthe1988SOLAS Protocol on the HSSC.
Theservicingintervalsoftheaforementionedlife-savingappliancesandsatelliteEPIRBsrequiredby SOLAS regulations III/20.8, III/20.9 and IV/15.9,respectively,shallnotexceed12monthswhichmaybe extended to 17 months where in any case this is impracticable in exceptional circumstances. In the meantime, according to regulations I/8 and I/9 of the 1988 SOLAS Protocol, the said appliances shall be subjectedtoanannualoraperiodicalsurveywithin3monthsbeforeoraftereachanniversaryoftheCargo ShipSafetyEquipmentCertificateandoftheCargoShipSafetyRadioCertificate,respectively,orthe Cargo Ship Safety Certificate,i.e. maximum 18 months interval.
2 TheCommitteenotedthatthereisadifferencebetweentherelevantregulationsofchaptersIIIand IVofthe1974SOLASConvention,asamended,andregulationsI/8andI/9ofthe1988SOLASProtocol intermsofservicingintervals,whichcreatesinconvenienceandburdenbothforshipoperatorsandfor Administrations which are implementing the HSSC.
3 TheCommitteealsonotedthatthe1988SOLASProtocolenteredintoforceon3February 2000 andresolutionA.883(21)“GlobalandUniformImplementationoftheHarmonizedSystemofSurveyand Certification(HSSC)”wasadopted,inNovember1999,enablingtheprovisionsoftheHSSCtobe implemented internationally.
4 The Committee, in pursuance of theHSSC's objectives to “simplify survey requirements, thereby reducing the burden on Administrations, operators of ships and the crews of ships”, decided that:
“theservicingintervalsoflife-savingappliancesandradiocommunicationequipmentforships,whose flagStatesimplementtheHSSC,maybeinconcertwiththetermsoftheHSSCannual,periodical and renewal survey stipulated in the 1988 SOLAS Protocol notwithstanding regulations III/20.8, III/20.9 and IV/15.9 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended”.
5 Member Governments are invited toapplytheabovedecisionwhenconductingrelevantsurveys and port State control on ships, whose flag States implement the HSSC.