SOLAS Chapter XV

Answer

SOLAS Chapter XV is titled "Safety Measures for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel". Adopted by the IMO under Resolution MSC.521(106), it entered into force on 1 July 2024.

The chapter was created to address the rapid growth of the offshore energy sector (such as wind farms, oil/gas rigs, aquaculture, and ocean mining), mandating safety standards for transporting and accommodating specialized technicians and industrial crews.

Chapter XV is a short, framework chapter containing 3 key regulations that make the International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel (IP Code) mandatory:

• Regulation 1 – Definitions: Defines Industrial Personnel (IP) as all persons transported or accommodated onboard for the purpose of offshore industrial activities performed on board other ships or offshore facilities.

  • Key Distinction: Industrial personnel are explicitly not passengers or special personnel under SOLAS definitions.

• Regulation 2 – Application:

  • Applies to cargo ships and high-speed cargo craft of ≥500 GT on international voyages carrying more than 12 industrial personnel.

  • Aggregation Rule: If calculating limits, the aggregate total of Industrial Personnel, Special Personnel, and Passengers (where passengers ≤12) counts toward the threshold.

• Regulation 3 – Application of the IP Code & Certification: Mandates full compliance with the IP Code and requires vessels to carry a valid Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate issued by the Flag State Administration or a Recognized Organization (RO).

The IP Code (Resolution MSC.527(106)) sets out the detailed technical and operational requirements under five main parts:

1. Training & Familiarization: Industrial personnel must undergo mandatory safety training, onboard familiarization, and medical fitness checks before transfer/work operations.

2. Safe Personnel Transfer Systems (PTS): Establishes strict technical, operational, and maintenance standards for transfer equipment (e.g., walk-to-work motion-compensated gangways, boat landings, and crane transfer systems), including mandatory Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).

3. Subdivision and Stability: Imposes enhanced intact and damage stability requirements similar to passenger ship standards, depending on the number of industrial personnel carried (>12, >60, or >240).

4. Fire Safety & Life-Saving Appliances (LSA): Requires additional fire detection/extinguishment capabilities, enlarged muster stations, and increased capacity/types of life-saving equipment (lifejackets, immersion suits, lifeboats/liferafts).

5. Dangerous Goods Restrictions: Prohibits carrying toxic products, low-flashpoint cargoes, or liquid acids in bulk on IP ships carrying more than 60 industrial personnel.

• New Ships (Constructed on or after 1 July 2024): Must fully comply with Chapter XV and the IP Code from construction.

• Existing Ships (Authorized under MSC.418(97) prior to 1 July 2024): Allowed a phased phase-in/grandfather scheme. They must comply with specific operational, LSA, and transfer system parts of the IP Code by their first intermediate or renewal survey after 1 July 2024 (or third periodical survey for High-Speed Craft).