The Maritime & Coastguard Agency begins a second public consultation today on proposed new technical requirements for domestic passenger ships.
The planned changes aim to make sure older ships more closely match the safety standards of newer vessels.
Feedback on the initial consultation has been used to modify the proposals in the areas relating to lifejacket provision, fire safety and the vessels in scope of damage stability requirements.
Following collaboration with a number of interested parties to gather industry feedback on the draft MSN for the Workboat Code: Edition 2, the MCA has now published the new Code. This Code applies to small workboats used commercially that operate at sea and to pilot boats of any size operating either at sea or in categorised waters (i.e. inland). It applies to United Kingdom vessels wherever they may be at, and to non-United Kingdom vessels in UK waters or operating from UK ports.
The workboat code edition 2 amends the original Code, “The Safety of Small Workboats and Pilot Boats – A Code of Practice” introduced in 1998, and applies to small workboats and pilot boats, the keels of which are laid, or are at a similar stage of construction, on or after 31 December 2018. This is defined in the Merchant Shipping Notice issued in accordance with the regulation 3(1) of the enabling regulations. From that date, this code supersedes the original Code, and also the use of Marine Guidance Note MGN 280(M)1 “Small Commercial Vessels and Pilot Boat Code of Practice” for small workboats and pilot boats and the Workboat Code Industry Working Group Technical Standard published in June 2014.
Continue reading “New workboat code edition 2 is published by MCA”
A new code came into force on 1 January 2019 allowing pleasure craft to be in temporary commercial use at sea for a number of defined purposes.
The Intended Pleasure Vessels (IPV) Code, which permits the temporary use of craft at sea for businesses purposes and as race support without the current requirement for inspection, marks a huge step forward for the UK’s leisure marine sector.
Testing, trialling and delivery of sea-going vessels legally will now be cheaper and easier for boatbuilders, brokers, surveyors, repairers, delivery companies and equipment service providers under the exemptions laid out in Part 1 of the new Code. It delivers an easier and Continue reading “The MCA UK code of practice for intended pleasure vessels in temporary commercial use at sea has come into force”
Red Ensign Group members have been attending an intensive course aimed at working with them to ensure their safety investigations of marine casualties and incidents are carried out in line with international requirements.
While the REG delegates are already experienced in such investigations, the course run by the UK-based Marine Accident Investigation Branch combines the requirements of the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code with its own experience and best practice.
David Wheal, principal inspector of marine accidents at the MAIB is one of the team that created the course. He said: ‘This is not designed Continue reading “Red Ensign Group members get boost to their expertise in casualty investigation”
Brian Johnson will become the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s new Chief Executive when the current CEO, Sir Alan Massey, steps down from on 31 October 2018.
Brian started his career as a chemical engineer in Imperial Chemical Industries and then Tate and Lyle, designing and managing manufacturing plants. He joined Remploy in 2000 where he was Operations Director, leading to some substantial improvements in the manufacturing operations. His interest in leading organisations delivering aspects of public service took him into social housing where he was CEO of 3 housing organisations, most recently leading the successful turnaround of Metropolitan. Brian is currently the interim Chief Operating Officer at Abzena, a bio-pharmaceutical company.
Continue reading “Brian Johnson appointed Chief Executive of UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency”
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking feedback from the public on a new code of practice for intended pleasure vessels (IPV)
The MCA would like feedback on a new proposal to allow pleasure craft to be temporarily used for business purposes and as race support boats.
The organisation has been working with British Marine, RYA, and the Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association (YBDSA) to develop the new code of practice which is due to be published on 1 January 2019.
The code is divided into parts. The first refers to intended pleasure vessels (IPV) to be used for temporary commercial reasons and the second for said craft to be used to support race boats.
Enforced via Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) certification, the new code is called the Marine Safety Notice (MSN) 1871 Construction and stipulates the legal requirement for small fishing vessels with an overall length of over 10m to carry an automatic GNSS (GPS) EPIRB. It replaces the existing MSN 1813 on this subject.
The main changes from MSN 1813 in the new code MSN 1871 are:
– Liferafts required on open vessels of 7m registered length (L) to less than 15m (LOA) and decked vessels of 7m (L) to less than 10m (L), to Continue reading “Code of practice for UK fishing vessel safety set for implementation from October 2019”
The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have run a special week-long event to test the use of drones along a stretch of coastline at St Athan, Wales. The testing took place between 23 and 27 April. A selection of drones were used in four different search and rescue scenarios to explore how they could be used to help save lives in the future.
The scenarios were a shoreline search for a casualty, an offshore search for multiple casualties in the sea, a mud rescue and a communications blackspot where a drone is required to relay information between rescue teams and a casualty on a cliff.
Featuring RNLI lifeboats and an HM coastguard search and rescue helicopter, the scenarios explored Continue reading “UK MCA and RNLI test drones for search and rescue”
After eight years in charge, the chief executive officer of the UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), Sir Alan Massey KBC CBE, has announced his intention to retire from the role towards the end of 2018.
Sir Alan joined the MCA in July 2010 after a 33-year career with the Royal Navy, where he left as second sea lord.
During his eight-year tenure, Sir Alan has successfully steered the MCA through changes to modernise Her Majesty’s Coastguard, new arrangements for the UK’s search and rescue helicopter capability, a transformed survey and inspection capability and a more commercially responsive approach to how the UK Ship Register operates. Sir Alan will continue his role until late 2018, to allow the appointment process for a successor to take place.
Bernadette Kelly, permanent secretary of the Department of Transport, said Continue reading “Maritime & Coastguard Agency CEO Sir Alan Massey announces his retirement”
The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has published an updated version of the ‘Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers’. The amendments give advice on improving health and safety of seafarers, primarily for those on board UK registered ships. But surveyors should also take note.
The Code provides guidance on safe working practices for the many and numerous situations that occur on ships.
However, it should not be considered a comprehensive guide to safety and its advice should always be considered in conjunction with the Continue reading “MCA amends its Code of Safe Working Practices”
The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency has published a Marine Guidance Note – MGN 578 – about the use of equipment while undertaking work on commercial yachts, small commercial vessels and loadline vessels.
The aim of Marine Guidance Note MGN 578 is to provide guidance on the use of “rail and trolley” and similar systems while conducting overside work on yachts and other vessels. The key points are the following:
– To ensure that new systems comply with the current BS/EN Standards,
Continue reading “MCA issues MGN 578 about conducting overside work on yachts and other vessels”
The UK MCA has released a marine notice, MIN 542, which highlights the specific risks of using non SOLAS or non-pyrotechnic distress flares, for example Electronic Visual Distress Signals (EVDS).
To be effective, distress signals need to be internationally recognised. Not all EVDS provide a distress signal listed in COLREGS Annex IV (such as SOS), and the MCA knows of no EVDS device which is compliant with the SOLAS technical performance standards for distress flares. Consequently, the international carriage requirements do not recognise EVDS and the UK national carriage requirements have not been amended to formally recognise them either.
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