Changes to SOLAS and MARPOL shipping and maritime regulations from January 2020
The new and far reaching IMO Sulphur Cap regulations have captured media attention in recent months for obvious reasons, but as well as this significant change, January 2020 beckoned in with it a raft of new regulations and amendments too – in total more than 30. Additionally, other new regulations are set to come into force later in the year too. But for now, here is a round-up of what you need to know about the new regulations and amendments that became effective from 1 January 2020.
SOLAS amendments
• Protection against noise (Amendments to SOLAS II-1/3-12) Because of a discrepancy in the application of the Code on Noise Levels on-board ships there has been an amendment through a minor modification, in paragraph 2.1 of Chapter II-1/ Regulation 3-12. According to MSC.409(97), the existing paragraph 2.1 is amended to read as follows: “.1 contracted for construction before 1 July 2014 and the keels of which are laid or which are at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2009; or”
• Damage control drills for passenger ships (Amendments to SOLAS II-1/19, III/30 and III/37) Amendments to SOLAS chapter II-1 regulation 19 and chapter III regulations 30 and 37 to mandate damage control drills were adopted. The requirements are operational in nature with drills required at regular intervals for all passenger ships. According to MSC.421(98), the drills will have to involve crew members who have damage control responsibilities. Additionally, drills will have to be recorded and should cover different damage scenarios.
• Fire integrity of windows on passenger ships (Amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/20) According to MSC.421(98), Amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/20 were drafted to clarify the requirements in chapter II-2 for the fire integrity of windows on passenger ships carrying not more than 36 passengers and special purpose ships with more than 60 (but no more than 240) persons on board. The amendments explicitly require that for ships carrying
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not more than 36 passengers, windows facing survival craft and escape slides, embarkation areas and windows situated below such areas shall have a fire integrity at least equal to “A-0” class.
• Fire protection of domestic boilers (Amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-2/10.5) The text of regulation II-2/10.5.1.2.2 has been amended. Prior to the amendment domestic boilers of less than 175kW were not required to carry an approved 135l foam-type fire extinguisher. The 135l foam extinguishers are now not required for boilers that are protected by a fixed local water-based firefighting system. According to MSC.409(97), in paragraph 5.1.2.2, the last sentence is replaced with the following: “In the case of domestic boilers of less than 175 kW, or boilers protected by fixed water-based local application fire-extinguishing systems as required by paragraph 5.6, an approved foam-type extinguisher of at least 135 l capacity is not required.”
• Evacuation analysis is now mandatory (Amendments to SOLAS II-2/13) Existing paragraph II-2/13.7.4 is deleted. New paragraphs II-2/13.2.7.1 and II-2/13.2.7.2 have been introduced which require escape routes to be evaluated to demonstrate that the ship can be evacuated in the required time. According to MSC.404(96), the evacuation simulation will be used to identify and eliminate congestion which may develop during abandonment and demonstrate that escape arrangements are sufficiently flexible to provide for the possibility that certain routes/areas may not be available as a result of a casualty.
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