Paris MOU has released guidance, intended to provide guidance for PSC inspections of ships carrying Industrial Personnel.
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS 1974) was adopted in 1974 and entered into force in 1980. The convention has been amended several times since entry into force. The recent amendment adopted by Resolution MSC.521(106) added a new Chapter to the Convention – Chapter XV, Safety Measures for Ships carrying Industrial Personnel.
This new chapter has made it mandatory for Ships and high-speed craft to which this chapter applies to be:
.1 be certified as a cargo ship or high-speed cargo craft in accordance with either chapter I or chapter VIII or chapter X, as applicable;
.2 meet the requirements of the IP Code (Resolution MSC.527(106)); and
.3 in addition to the requirements of regulations I/8, I/9 and I/10 or of sections 1.5 to 1.9 of the High-Speed Craft (HSC) Code, as applicable, be surveyed and certified, as provided for in the IP Code.
Industrial personnel (IP) means all persons transported or accommodated on board for the purpose of offshore industrial activities performed on board other ships and/or offshore facilities.
Wherever in SOLAS Chapter XV, or in the IP Code, the number of Industrial Personnel appears as a parameter, it shall be the aggregate number of industrial personnel, special personnel1 and passengers carried on board, where the number of passengers shall not exceed 12.
Annex XI of this guidance contains list of possible deficiencies and related action which may be taken.
Guidance can be downloaded from Paris MOU website.