1 The Code has been developed to provide an international
standard of safety for special purpose ships of new construction the
application of which will facilitate operation of such ships and result
in a level of safety for the ships and their personnel equivalent
to that required by the International Convention for the Safety of
Life at Sea in force.
2 For the purposes of this Code a special purpose
ship is a ship of not less than 500 gross tonnage which carries more
than 12 special personnel, i.e. persons who are specially needed for
the particular operational duties of the ship and are in addition
to those persons required for the normal navigation, engineering and
maintenance of the ship or engaged to provide services for the persons
carried on board.
3 Because special personnel are expected to be
able bodied with a fair knowledge of the layout of the ship and have
received some training in safety procedures and the handling of the
ship's safety equipment, the special purpose ships on which they are
carried need not be considered or treated as passenger ships.
4 In developing the safety standards for this
Code it has been necessary to consider:
5 Recognizing that for certain limited areas of
operation and service characteristics it would be unreasonable to
apply the Code in full, the possibility of relaxations has been introduced
by the concept of near-coastal voyages.
6 While the Code has been developed for new ships
of 500 gross tonnage and above, Administrations may consider the application
of the provisions of the Code also to ships of lesser tonnage. The
term “new ship” has not been defined in order to give
any Administration discretion to decide the effective date of entry
into force.
7 For facilitating the operation of special purpose
ships this Code provides for a certificate, called a Special Purpose
Ship Safety Certificate, which should be issued to every special purpose
ship. Where a special purpose ship is normally engaged on international
voyages as defined in the 1974 SOLAS Convention
it should, in addition, also carry SOLAS Safety Certificates, either:
-
.1 for a passenger ship with a SOLAS Exemption
Certificate; or
-
.2 for a cargo ship with a SOLAS Exemption Certificate,
where necessary;
as the Administration deems appropriate.