S.I. No. 31/1994:

MERCHANT SHIPPING (CARGO SHIP CONSTRUCTION AND SURVEY) RULES, 1985 (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1994.

MERCHANT SHIPPING (CARGO SHIP CONSTRUCTION AND SURVEY) RULES, 1985 (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1994.

I, DAVID ANDREWS, Minister for the Marine, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1966 (No. 20 of 1966), and the Communications (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1987 ( S.I. No. 91 of 1987 ), hereby make the following Rules:--

1. These Rules may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship Construction and Survey) Rules, 1985 (Amendment) Rules, 1994 and shall come into operation on the 3rd day of May, 1994.

2. The Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship Construction and Survey) Rules, 1985 ( S.I. No. 276 of 1985 ) are hereby amended:

( a ) in Rule 1 (2)--

(i) by the substitution for the definition of "Chemical tanker" of the following definition:

"'Chemical tanker' means a cargo ship constructed or adapted and used for the carriage in bulk of any liquid product listed in either Chapter 17 of the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee by Resolution MSC 4 (48), or Chapter VI of the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk adopted by the Assembly of the International Mairitime Organisation by Resolutions A.212 (VII);";

(ii) by the substitution for the definition of "Gas carrier" of the following definition:

"'Gas carrier' means a cargo ship constructed or adapted and used for the carriage in bulk of any liquefied gas or other product listed in either Chapter 19 of the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organisation by Resolution MSC 5 (48), or Chapter XIX of the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk adopted by the International Maritime Organisation by Resolution A.328 (IX);";

( b ) by the insertion after Rule 1 (2) of the following paragraph:

"(2) (A) A reference to the codes referred to in the definitions of "chemical tanker" and "gas carrier" shall be a reference to those codes as amended from time to time by the International Maritime Organisation in any document which is considered by the Minister to be relevant and is specified by him in a Marine Notice as taking effect on a particular date.";

( c ) Rule 28 (1) by the addition of the following after "Rules"

"and a record of the measurements taken shall be retained on the ship.";

( d ) by the substitution for sub-paragraph 1 (a) of Rule 47 of the following new sub-paragraph:--

"(a) for a period of 3 hours, the emergency lighting required by

(i) Rule 49 (3) (c) (i), 49 (3) (c) (ii), and 49 (3) (d) of the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Rules 1983 ( S.I. No. 302 of 1983 ), or

(ii) Rules 15 (4) and 15 (5) and 18 (8) of the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Rules, 1993 ( S.I. No. 380 of 1993 ,

whichever is applicable.";

(e) by the insertion, after paragraph (3) of Rules 54, of the following paragraph;--

"(4) Asbestos or any material containing asbestos shall not be installed in any part of the ship except that white asbestos may be used in machinery when a substitute material is not available.".

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 18th day of February, 1994.

DAVID ANDREWS,

Minister for the Marine.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Rules amend the Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship Construction and Survey) Rules, 1985 ( S.I. No. 276 of 1985 ). They give effect to the provisions of the Second (1983) Amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 adopted by the International Maritime Organisation on the 17th June, 1983 and which came into force internationally on 1st July, 1986. The amendments relate to the construction of cargo ships by extending the definitions of chemical tanker and gas carrier and amending a reference to emergency lighting to take account of recent legislation.

In addition the Rules require records to be kept of noise levels in machinery spaces to be retained on board ship and restrict the use of asbestos in ships.