1.2.1 Coamings and hatchway covers to exposed hatchways situated above the second superstructuretieroritsequivalent,orabovethethirdtieroritsequivalent,intheforwardquarterof theship'slength,mayberegardedasbeingsituatedabovethesuperstructuredeck,forthepurposeof givingeffecttoregulation14(2)ofthe1966LLConvention.Partiallyweathertighthatchcovers fittedtohatchwayssituatedinsuchlocationsmaybeacceptedsubjecttothefollowingconditions.
1.2.2 Coamingsandhatchwaycoversmaybefittedtohatchwayslocatedonexposeddeckssituated atleasttwostandardsuperstructureheightsabovetheactualfreeboarddeckoranassumedfreeboard deck,onthebasisofwhichacalculationofthefreeboardmaybemadecorrespondingtothedraught, whichshouldbenotlessthanthatwhichwouldcorrespondtothefreeboardactuallyassignedtothe ship. Ifanypartofthehatchwayisforwardofapointlocatedaquarterof a ship's length (0.25L) fromtheforwardperpendicular,thishatchwayshouldbelocatedonanexposeddeckwhichis situatedatleastthreestandardsuperstructureheightsabovetheactualorassumedfreeboard. It shouldbenotedthatuseismadeofanotionalfreeboarddecksolelyforthepurposeofmeasuringthe heightofthedeckonwhichhatchwaysarelocated;itmayconsistofanimaginaryoravirtualdeck which, under such circumstances, is not used fortheactualassignmentofthefreeboard. The freeboardoftheshipshouldbeassignedonthebasisofanactualdeck,referredtoasthefreeboard deck ,whichshouldbedeterminedinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe1966LLConventionand of IACS Unified Interpretation LL39, as contained in LL.3/Circ.77.
1.2.3 The height of the hatchway coamings should not be less than 600 mm.
1.2.4 Non-weathertightgapsbetweenthehatchwaycoversshouldberegardedasunprotected openings with respect to the requirements relating to intact stability and damage stability calculations. Thegapsshouldalsobeassmallaspossibleandproportionaltothecapacityofthe bilgepumpingsystemandtheestimatedamountofwaterpenetration,aswellastothecapacityand
theoperationalefficiencyofthefire-extinguishingsystem,andinanycaseshouldbenotmore than 50 mm.
1.2.5 Labyrinths,guttersorotherequivalentmeansshouldbefittedclosetotheedgesofeachhatch coveratrightangleswiththeopeningsinordertoreducetoaminimumthequantityof waterthat mightpenetrateintotheholdfromtheuppersurfaceofeachcover. Figures1.2.5-1and1.2.5-2are examples of labyrinth and gutter arrangements.