1 The international conventions ratified in respect
of conventional ships and the regulations applied as a consequence
of such conventions have largely been developed having in mind the
manner in which conventional ships are constructed and operated. Traditionally,
ships have been built of steel and with the minimum of operational
controls. The requirements for ships engaged on long international
voyages are therefore framed in such a way that, providing the ship
is presented for survey and a Ship Safety Certificate is issued, the
ship may go anywhere in the world without any operational restrictions
being imposed. Providing the ship is not involved in a casualty, all
that is needed is that it is made available to the Administration
for the purpose of a satisfactory resurvey before the Ship Safety
Certificate expires and the Certificate will be reissued.
2 The traditional method of regulating ships should
not be accepted as being the only possible way of providing an appropriate
level of safety. Nor should it be assumed that another approach, using
different criteria, could not be applied. Over a long period of time,
numerous new designs of marine vehicles have been developed and have
been in service. While these do not fully comply with the provisions
of the international conventions relating to conventional ships built
of steel, they have demonstrated an ability to operate at an equivalent
level of safety when engaged on restricted voyages under restricted
operational weather conditions and with approved maintenance and supervision
schedules.
3 The High-Speed Craft Code 1994 (1994
HSC Code) was derived from the previous Code of Safety for
Dynamically Supported Craft (DSC Code) adopted by IMO in 1977, recognizing
that safety levels can be significantly enhanced by the infrastructure
associated with regular service on a particular route, whereas the
conventional ship safety philosophy relies on the ship being self-sustaining
with all necessary emergency equipment being carried on board.
4 The safety philosophy of this Code is based
on the management and reduction of risk as well as the traditional
philosophy of passive protection in the event of an accident. Management
of risk through accommodation arrangement, active safety systems,
restricted operation, quality management and human factors engineering
should be considered in evaluating safety equivalent to current conventions.
Application of mathematical analysis should be encouraged to assess
risk and determine the validity of safety measures.
5 This Code takes into account that a high-speed
craft is of a light displacement compared with a conventional ship.
This displacement aspect is the essential parameter to obtain fast
and competitive sea transportation and consequently this Code allows
for use of non-conventional shipbuilding materials, provided that
a safety standard at least equivalent to conventional ships is achieved.
6 To clearly distinguish such craft, criteria
based on speed and volumetric Froude number have been used to delineate
those craft to which this Code applies from other, more conventional,
craft.
7 The Code requirements also reflect the additional
hazards which may be caused by the high speed compared with conventional
ship transportation. Thus, in addition to the normal requirements
(including life-saving appliances, evacuation facilities, etc.) provided
in case of an accident occurring, further emphasis is placed on reducing
the risk of hazardous situations arising. Some advantages result from
the high-speed craft concept, i.e. the light displacement provides
a large reserve buoyancy in relation to displacement, reducing the
hazards addressed by the International Convention on
Load Lines, 1966. The consequences of other hazards, such as
of collision at high speed, are balanced by more stringent navigational
and operational requirements and specially developed accommodation
provisions.
8 The above-mentioned safety concepts were originally
reflected in the DSC Code and in the 1994 HSC Code.
The development of novel types and sizes of craft has led to the development
of pressures within the maritime industry for craft which are not
dynamically supported cargo craft or passenger craft carrying larger
numbers of passengers or operating further afield than permitted by
that Code to be certified according to those concepts. Additionally,
improvements of maritime safety standards since 1994 were required
to be reflected in the revisions of the 1994 HSC Code to
maintain safety equivalence with conventional ships.
9 Accordingly, two differing principles of protection
and rescue were embodied in the 1994 HSC Code.
10 The first of these recognizes the craft which
were originally foreseen at the time of development of the DSC Code.
Where rescue assistance is readily available and the total number
of passengers is limited, a reduction in passive and active protection
may be permitted. Such craft are called "assisted craft" and form
the basis for "category A passenger craft" of this Code.
11 The second concept recognizes the further development
of high-speed craft into larger craft. Where rescue assistance is
not readily available or the number of passengers is unlimited, additional
passive and active safety precautions are required. These additional
requirements provide for an area of safe refuge on board, redundancy
of vital systems, increased watertight and structural integrity and
full fire-extinguishing capability. Such craft are called "unassisted
craft" and form the basis for "cargo craft" and "category B passenger
craft" of this Code.
12 These two concepts have been developed as a
unified document on the basis that an equivalent level of safety to
that normally expected on ships complying with the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 is achieved. Where the application
of new technology or design indicates an equivalent safety level to
the strict application of this Code, the Administration is permitted
to formally recognize such equivalence.
13 It is important that an Administration, in
considering the suitability of a high-speed craft under this Code,
should apply all sections of the Code because non-compliance with
any part of the Code could result in an imbalance which would adversely
affect the safety of the craft, passengers and crew. For a similar
reason, modifications to existing craft, which may have an effect
on safety, should be approved by the Administration.
14 In developing this Code, it has been considered
desirable to ensure that high-speed craft do not impose unreasonable
demands on existing users of the environment or conversely suffer
unnecessarily through lack of reasonable accommodation by existing
users. Whatever burden of compatibility there is, it should not necessarily
be laid wholly on the high-speed craft.
15
Paragraph 1.15.1 of
the 1994 HSC Code states that it should be reviewed by the Organization
at intervals preferably not exceeding 4 years to consider revision
of existing requirements to take account of new developments in design
and technology. Experience gained with the application of the 1994 HSC Code since it entered into force in 1996
has led to the recognition that it needed to be revised and updated.
Subsequent work in the Organization has resulted in the development
of the present Code to ensure that safety is not compromised as a
result of continuous introduction of state-of-the-art technology and
innovative developments into the new and generally much larger and
faster high-speed craft.