1 Traditionally, the safety of ships has been regulated through instruments such as the
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974,
and the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, through provisions under which the
ship is self-sufficient for all normal and emergency operational situations. Provision has
been made in these conventions for reduced requirements to be applied to near-coastal
voyages.
2 New types of craft have been developed in recent years, for which maintenance of
internationally acceptable risk levels has been achieved by elimination of some safety
hazards and increased reliance on safety-related facilities available in the restricted
area of a craft's operation. These craft, which are predominantly of light weight and
operate at substantially greater speeds than conventional craft, could not be accommodated
under traditional maritime safety instruments. IMO responded first by developing the Code
of Safety for Dynamically Supported Craft (1977) and later the International Codes of Safety for High-Speed Craft, 1994 and 2000 (1994 and 2000
HSC Codes). These Codes cover all types of high-speed craft operated in contact
with the sea surface, including planing vessels, multihull craft, surface-effect ships and
air cushion vehicles.
3 One type of marine vehicle not covered by the 2000
HSC Code is the wing-in-ground (WIG) craft. These craft are supported in their
main operational mode solely by aerodynamic forces which enable them to operate at low
altitude above the sea surface but out of direct contact with that surface. Accordingly,
their arrangement, engineering characteristics, design, construction and operation have a
high degree of commonality with those characteristics of aircraft. However, they operate
with other waterborne craft and must necessarily utilize the same collision avoidance rules
as conventional shipping. Amendments to the International Regulations for Preventing
Collisions at Sea (resolution
A.910(22), adopted by the twenty-second IMO Assembly on 29 November 2001),
developed by the Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation, take into account the operational
peculiarities of WIG craft.
4 IMO and ICAO have agreed that any WIG craft capable of flying outside the influence of
ground effect at an altitude of more than 150 m, typically referred to as type C craft,
should in such a flight be subject to the rules and regulations of ICAO. Other craft,
including those with limited "fly-over" capability, should be covered only by the maritime
regulatory regime.
5 In view of the configuration of WIG craft, which are between the maritime and aviation
regulatory regimes, IMO has developed these Guidelines on a flexible risk management basis
with reduced emphasis on prescriptive standards compared to the 2000
HSC Code. Notwithstanding the changed emphasis, the Guidelines are intended to
achieve comparable safety standards to those of the 1974 SOLAS
Convention and include relevant recommendations adapted from the 2000
HSC Code.
6 Significant differences between WIG craft and high-speed craft reflected in the
Guidelines include:
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.1 substantially higher speeds of WIG craft and consequently larger distances
travelled in a given time at operational speed;
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.2 the possibility of "amphibious" WIG craft being operated from land base;
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.3 the need for risk and safety levels to be assessed on a holistic basis,
recognizing that high levels of operator training, comprehensive and thoroughly
implemented procedures, high levels of automation and sophisticated software can all
make significant contributions to risk reduction;
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.4 reduced ability of WIG craft to carry and deploy equipment and systems
traditionally associated with seagoing craft;
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.5 changed use of traditional ship terminology, such as stability, for the safety of
WIG craft in the operational mode and corresponding increase in the use of aviation
terminology, such as controllability; and
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.6 the capacity of a WIG craft to mitigate hazards associated with its airborne mode
by its ability to land on water at any time.
7 In order to provide as much guidance as possible to those involved in the design,
construction and operation of WIG craft, the Guidelines have been prepared in three parts:
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.1 part A provides general information applicable to all craft;
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.2 part B includes provisions that may be subordinate to measures developed through
the safety assessment recommendations of part C; and
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.3 part C details the safety assessments required for all craft.
8 Unless expressly provided otherwise, these Guidelines should be applied to WIG craft
carrying more than 12 passengers and/or having a full load displacement of more than 10
tonnes. The levels of safety for any WIG craft not covered above shall be to the
satisfaction of the Administration, taking into account these Guidelines.
9 In developing these Guidelines, care has been taken to ensure that WIG craft do not
impose unreasonable demands on other users of the marine environment and conversely that
reasonable accommodation is made by those users to facilitate WIG craft operations.
10 It should be noted that the Guidelines are an initial document on which to base the safe
design, construction and operation of these novel craft, but should be reviewed as
necessary to reflect experience gained in their implementation and to further improve the
safety of these craft, their passengers and crew.