Page 27: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2005)

October 2005 27 applies to all commercial vessels over 500 GT but is a recommendation by most flag states for all vessels. Engine room fires from high pressure oil pipes (fuel or hydraulic) account for most shipboard fires and double-skinned pipes, and the attached pipe failure alarm system, are considered financially expensive but a sound investment if compared to the alternative fire incident.

Recent regulations for existing

Convention-contracting countries are:

May 2004 SOLAS Amendments

These come into force for commercial vessels over 500 GT on July 1, 2006.

They are varied and apply at the first safety equipment survey after the above date. The items of note are new regula- tions increasing the number of immer- sion suits to be carried, and the mainte- nance procedures and inspections that must be carried out on such suits. An immersion or anti-exposure suit must be supplied for all crew members and pas- sengers. The new periodic testing requirements stipulate that there must be monthly visual inspections, and air pres- sure testing every three years. There is also a requirement for ships over 500

GT, on international voyages longer than 48 hours, to report daily to the owner's office.

December 2004 SOLAS Amendments

These also come into force on the 1st

July 2006 and involve the mandatory carrying of Voyage Data Recorders (VDR) for commercial vessels over 500

GT. This equipment must be fitted by the first scheduled dry-docking after the above date.

The Antifouling (IAFS) Convention

This comes into force on 1st January 2008. Anti-fouling systems containing organotin (TBT) must have been replaced or sealed from the seawater on this date.

Port State Control Inspections

Port State Control authorities usually have a theme from a particular conven- tion for a set period of time. Once the inspector has checked the vessels details and certification, the themed topic will be the focus of their attention. In

Europe the theme has recently been crew working and living conditions.

Accommodation and food are not usual- ly a problem area for most yachts but the hours of work and periods of rest can be.

MARPOL Annex I will again be a theme in Europe from January 1, 2006.

Oily water separators (OWS) will be inspected with the overboard discharge valve expected to be closed and locked shut. Machinery Oil Record Books will be under close scrutiny to make sure all lubricating and fuel oil bunkering has been correctly documented. All bilge pumping and OWS operations should be correctly logged with all the required details. Paperwork such as the IOPP

Certificate and the details on the attach- ment should all be correct e.g. are your bilge water tank and waste oil tank details on this form correct? Does your

SOPEP contain the latest MEPC circular of coastal state contact details that is issued every December by IMO on their website? If you are not being kept up to- date with Convention regulations by your Flag State or Classification Society then a service such as Regs4yachts (www.regs4yachts.com) may be useful to alert you promptly to new require- ments In summary, regulations apply depending upon your vessel size and status i.e. whether you are commercial or private. Regulations applicable by your Flag State and the Port State where you are berthed are also relevant.

Compliance is less painful and more cost effective if you know the rules and plan your compliance.

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Costa Serena Takes

Shape in Italy

Costa Crociere announced the name of its new ship, which will join the fleet in

May 2007. The ship was named Costa

Serena during a ceremony marking the laying of the first building block for the ship in the dock at Fincantieri's Sestri

Ponente shipyards in Genoa. This first block, an aft section, measures 55.7 ft. (17 m) long and 72 ft. (22 m) wide, and weighs approximately 500 tons.

Like sister ship Costa Concordia, which is currently under construction at

Sestri Ponente and is due for delivery in

July 2006, Costa Serena will be Italy's largest cruise ship: 112,000 gt, 951 ft. (290 m) long with 1,500 cabins for 3,780 passengers. Costa Crociere has invested more than $1 billion on the building of the Costa Serena and Costa

Concordia.

PSV Normand Aurora

Delivered

The platform supply vessel (PSV)

Normand Aurora" was delivered from the Dutch Merwede Shipyard on

September 16. The PSV is significant for designer Ulstein Design, in that it is the first external project for the compa- ny. "The vessel was delivered on time and we were very pleased with the pace of progress at Merwede Shipyard," said

Solstad's project manager, Odd

Nordam. "Ulstein Design supplied the design and equipment package, and there has been a good dialogue through- out the project between Solstad, Ulstein

Design and the shipyard."

The vessel is going directly onto the spot market in the North Sea and will operate out of Solstad's base in

Skudeneshavn, Norway.

Normand Aurora is an Ulstein P105 design, measuring 282 ft. (86 m) long with a 62.3 ft. (19 m) beam. It can carry a deck load of 2,725 tons and the cargo tanks can carry eight different materials

Circle 77 on Reader Service Card

New Bulk Carrier Design

Launched

The Graig Group launched a unique double-hull handysize 34,000 dwt bulk carrier design with an eight-ship order in

Vietnam. Graig has contracted four

Graig Carl Bro-designed Diamond 34 bulkers, with four options, to be built at

Vinahsin's Pha Rung shipyard. Delivery dates begin in mid 2007.

The Diamond 34 is a new five-hatch, double-hull bulk carrier design. "This expansion of the Diamond con- cept into a new size range makes all the proven success factors of the Diamond available to handysize operators. We have had excellent feedback from the five Diamond 53's already delivered, and we have developed this new

Diamond 34 based on the same con- cepts, said Hugh Williams, Graig CEO.

The bulkhead framing and side frames are all outside the holds, designed to ensure clean surfaces in the holds.

Although there is a floodable ballast hold, normal ballast condition doe not require the hold to be flooded, and all ballast can be sequentially exchanged at sea. The vessel is fitted with four cranes,

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