Trans RINA, Vol 152, Part B2, Intl J Small Craft Tech, 2010 Jul-Dec HIGH-SPEED CRAFT - UNIFORM OPERATING LIMITATIONS
R Gehling, Rob Gehling & Associates Pty Ltd, Australia (DOI No: 10.3940/rina.ijsct.2010.b2.106) SUMMARY
The author has been deeply involved with matters relating to the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft (HSC Code) since its draft stages over 15 years ago.
During development of the 2006 amendments to the 2000 HSC Code, a need was identified for establishment of uniform procedures for determining the operating limitations covered by the craft’s Permit to Operate. In particular, the need was foreseen to ensure that the operating limitations take account of the craft’s stability and seakeeping characteristics in addition to the hull strength related sea-state limitations that have generally been imposed by the classification society. IMO subsequently embarked on developing guidance to facilitate a uniform approach in this area.
The paper, which was initially presented to the Pacific 2010 International Maritime Conference in Sydney, provides background and documentation for the resulting guidelines on uniform operating limitations that have now been promulgated by IMO.
1. INTRODUCTION
The international Code Supported Craft
of (DSC Code)[1] was developed
provide an agreed international safety (Figure 2) and planing craft.
Safety for Dynamically to
framework for craft such as hovercraft (Figure 1), hydrofoils
regulatory Australian
industry later used the completed Code for the design and construction of passenger planing craft and catamarans, initially for local services but later for vessels built for export and operation under other flags.
Through this experience, particularly in using the Code as the statutory standard for the first 74m Incat catamaran, Hoverspeed Great Britain, it became apparent that its recommendatory and voluntary status relative to the mandatory instruments of SOLAS and the 1966 Load Lines Convention presented these craft with significant problems in being accepted for international operations.
The author had the honour of chairing the IMO’s Ship Design and Equipment Sub-Committee’s working group that developed the International Code of Safety for High- Speed Craft (1994 HSC Code)[2] as a replacement for the DSC Code. The 1994 HSC Code subsequently became mandatory as an alternative to normal SOLAS certification through SOLAS Chapter X which entered force on 1 January 1996.
It is useful to note at this point that the 1994 HSC Code and its successors are predicated on providing a standard of safety for high-speed, light-weight craft that is at least equivalent to that provided by SOLAS for conventional vessels. This is achieved by, for example:
Figure 1. Hovercraft
(a) substantially preventing bedding fires and using passengers’ senses to provide early detection of fires occurring in passenger spaces by banning berthed passengers;
(b) restricting normal commercial operations to
specific planned routes near places of refuge, with assessment of rescue resources available in the area;
(c) providing for imposition of other operational restrictions, including avoidance of extreme structural loads, through the Permit to Operate;
(d) introducing strict requirements for the time required to evacuate into survival craft related to the fire protection afforded on evacuation routes; and
Figure 2. Hydrofoil ©2010: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects B-87
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