Regulation 19 - Totally enclosed lifeboats
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - International Conventions - SFV - International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels (The Torremolinos Convention)Regulations for the Construction and Equipment of Fishing Vessels - Chapter VII - Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements - Part C - Life-Saving Appliances Requirements - Regulation 19 - Totally enclosed lifeboats

Regulation 19 - Totally enclosed lifeboats

  (1) Totally enclosed lifeboats shall comply with the requirements of regulation 17 and, in addition, shall comply with the requirements of this regulation.

  (2) Enclosure

 Every totally enclosed lifeboat shall be provided with a rigid watertight enclosure which completely encloses the lifeboat. The enclosure shall be so arranged that:

  • (i) it protects the occupants against heat and cold;

  • (ii) access to the lifeboat is provided by hatches which can be closed to make the lifeboat watertight;

  • (iii) hatches are positioned so as to allow launching and recovery operations to be performed without any occupant having to leave the enclosure;

  • (iv) access hatches are capable of being opened and closed from both inside and outside and are equipped with means to hold them securely in open positions;

  • (v) it is possible to row the lifeboat;

  • (vi) it is capable, when the lifeboat is in the capsized position with the hatches closed and without significant leakage, of supporting the entire mass of the lifeboat, including all equipment, machinery and its full complement of persons;

  • (vii) it includes windows or translucent panels on both sides which admit sufficient daylight to the inside of the lifeboat with the hatches closed to make artificial light unnecessary;

  • (viii) its exterior is of a highly visible colour and its interior of a colour which does not cause discomfort to the occupants;

  • (ix) handrails provide a secure handhold for persons moving about the exterior of the lifeboat, and aid embarkation and disembarkation;

  • (x) persons have access to their seats from an entrance without having to climb over thwarts or other obstructions;

  • (xi) the occupants are protected from the effects of dangerous subatmospheric pressures which might be created by the lifeboat's engine.

  (3) Capsizing and re-righting

  • (a) A safety belt shall be fitted at each indicated seating position. The safety belt shall be designed to hold a person of a mass of 100 kg securely in place when the lifeboat is in a capsized position.

  • (b) The stability of the lifeboat shall be such that it is inherently or automatically self-righting when loaded with its full or a partial complement of persons and equipment and all entrances and openings are closed watertight and the persons are secured with safety belts.

  • (c) The lifeboat shall be capable of supporting its full complement of persons and equipment when the lifeboat is in the damaged condition prescribed in regulation 17(1)(a) and its stability shall be such that, in the event of capsizing, it will automatically attain a position that will provide an above-water escape for its occupants.

  • (d) The design of an engine exhaust pipes, air ducts and other openings shall be such that water is excluded from the engine when the lifeboat capsizes and re-rights.

  (4) Propulsion

  • (a) The engine and transmission shall be controlled from the helmsman's position.

  • (b) The engine and engine installation shall be capable of running in any position during capsize and continue to run after the lifeboat returns to the upright or shall automatically stop on capsizing and be easily restarted after the lifeboat returns to the upright. The design of the fuel and lubricating systems shall prevent the loss of fuel and the loss of more than 250 ml of lubricating oil from the engine during capsize.

  • (c) Air-cooled engines shall have a duct system to take in cooling air from, and exhaust it to, the outside of the lifeboat. Manually operated dampers shall be provided to enable cooling air to be taken in from, and exhausted to, the interior of the lifeboat.

  (5) Construction and fendering

 Notwithstanding regulation 17(1)(f) a totally enclosed lifeboat shall be so constructed and fendered as to ensure that the lifeboat renders protection against harmful accelerations resulting from an impact of the lifeboat, when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment against the vessel's side at an impact velocity of not less than 3.5 m/s.

  (6) Free-fall lifeboats

 A lifeboat arranged for free-fall launching shall be so constructed that it is capable of rendering protection against harmful accelerations resulting from being launched, when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment, from at least the maximum height at which it is designed to be stowed above the waterline with the vessel in its lightest seagoing condition, under unfavourable conditions of trim of up to 10° and with the vessel listed not less than 20° either way.

Parent topic: Part C - Life-Saving Appliances Requirements
Copyright 2022 Clasifications Register Group Limited, International Maritime Organization, International Labour Organization or Maritime and Coastguard Agency. All rights reserved. Clasifications Register Group Limited, its affiliates and subsidiaries and their respective officers, employees or agents are, individually and collectively, referred to in this clause as 'Clasifications Register'. Clasifications Register assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable to any person for any loss, damage or expense caused by reliance on the information or advice in this document or howsoever provided, unless that person has signed a contract with the relevant Clasifications Register entity for the provision of this information or advice and in that case any responsibility or liability is exclusively on the terms and conditions set out in that contract.