Maintaining a ship’s structural condition requires regular surveys and inspections throughout its operational life and the Ship Structural Access Manual is an integral part of this process. These checks help ensure that structural components remain free from damage, such as cracks, buckling, deformation, corrosion, or thickness diminution beyond acceptable limits.
For this reason, suitable means of access to the hull structure are essential, enabling safe and effective overall and close-up inspections, as well as thickness measurements.
Regulation II-1/3-6 of SOLAS, as amended, requires oil tankers of 500 GT and above and bulk carriers of 20,000 GT and above, constructed on or after 1 January 2005, to be provided with means of access in each space within the cargo area and forward spaces. These means of access must allow for overall and close-up inspections, as well as thickness measurements of the ship’s structures, throughout the vessel’s operational life.
Where permanent means of access may be exposed to damage during normal cargo loading or unloading operations, or where fitting permanent access is impracticable, movable or portable means of access may be accepted. However, the arrangements for attaching, rigging, suspending, or supporting these alternative means must form a permanent part of the ship’s structure. Such alternative means of access may be used either independently or in combination with the permanent means of access provided onboard.
SOLAS further requires that the ship’s means of access for carrying out overall and close-up inspections and thickness measurements be described in a Ship Structural Access Manual, approved by the Administration. An updated copy of the manual must be kept onboard.
The Manual shall include the following for each space in the cargo area:
– Plans showing the means of access to the space, with appropriate technical specifications and dimensions;
– Plans showing the means of access within each space to enable an overall inspection to be carried out, with appropriate technical specifications and dimensions;
– The plans shall indicate from where each area in the space can be inspected;
– Plans showing the means of access within the space to enable close-up inspections to be carried out, with appropriate technical specifications and dimensions. The plans shall indicate the positions of critical structural areas, whether the means of access are permanent or portable, and from where each area can be inspected;
– Instructions for inspecting and maintaining the structural strength of all means of access and means of attachment, considering any corrosive atmosphere that may be within the space;
– Instructions for safety guidance when rafting is used for close-up inspections and thickness measurements;
– Instructions for the rigging and use of any portable means of access in a safe manner;
– An inventory of all portable means of access; and
– Records of periodical inspections and maintenance of the ship’s means of access arrangements.
If the Ship Structural Access Manual is submitted to the Administration for review, the following documents are also required to be provided, as applicable:
– General arrangement plan
– Tank arrangement
– Record of inspection
– Inventory of portable means of access
– Access hatch arrangement
– Water ballast tanks – permanent ladder arrangement
– Cargo tanks – permanent ladder arrangement
– Engine room tanks – permanent ladder arrangement
– F.O tanks – means of access
– Void spaces – means of access.
The Ship Structural Access Manual supports safe and effective access for structural surveys, close-up inspections, and thickness measurements onboard.