85, p. 111), and recommendation is made for amendment of the Washington Radiotelegraph Convention. INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS Rules of the Road. 16. Annex II (commencing on page 80, page 66, page 84) is a complete revision of the present International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, printed to show the present rules, the parts struck out, the parts added, and the complete proposed revised rules. The Contracting Governments agree that the proposed revisions are desirable and ought to be made. The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is requested to ascertain and report whether the Governments that have accepted the present International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea will adopt the alterations, and further to endeavor to arrange that the revised regulations shall come in force on July 1, 1931 (p. 24, p. 20, p. 27, Art. 40). ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS Construction Recommendations. 17. The Conference adopted the following recommendations which are not a part of the Convention. The Conference draws the attention of the Contracting Governments to the desirability of study and exchange of information on stability for different national types and trades. The Conference recommends that the number of hinged side scuttles below the margin line, and doors low down in the machinery space bulkheads be kept at the minimum required in each case. For ships primarily engaged in carrying passengers in services of special risk the Conference recommended a higher standard of subdivision ("as may be found reasonable and practicable") than prescribed by the Convention (p. 105, pp. 86 and 87, pp. 112 and 113, Recommendations 1, 2, and 3). Life-saving Appliance Recommendations. 18. The Conference recommends the consideration of the practicability of fitting life boats with means to enable persons to cling to them when overturned. The Conference also recommends efforts to secure agreement as to what constitute "dangerous goods" and as to uniform rules for packing and stowing same (pp. 105 and 106, p. 87, p. 113, Recommendations 4 and 5). Radiotelegraphy Recommendations. 19. The Conference recommends to the next International Radiotelegraph Conference, that the alarm signal shall as a general rule precede the distress signal, also that coast stations precede the broadcasting of emergency cyclone warnings by the alarm signal. Recommendation is also made as to wave lengths in certain instances (p. 106, p. 87, p. 114, Recommendations 6, 7, and 8). Safety of Navigation Recommendations. 20. The Conference recommends that the Contracting Governments establish and maintain an adequate system of radio aids to navigation, and take measures to secure their efficiency and reliability. It recommends distance-finding apparatus capable of emitting synchronized radio and underwater signals, also that the development of echo depth-sounding appartus be encouraged. It is further recommended that life-saving signals should be international and that the intensity and location of shore lights should be regulated to ensure that they cannot be mistaken for, or do not impair the visibility of the navigation lights of the port. The Conference also recommends a study and an exchange of views as to the collision regulations that should govern for surface vessels and air craft on the surface of the high seas, and on the waters connected therewith, with a view to reaching an international agreement (p. 107, p. 88, p. 115, Recommendations 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14). Recommendations as to Certificates. 21. In order to bring the Convention standards into the earliest possible operation, the Conference recommends that all practicable steps be taken to secure recognition in international trade, as from the date of signing this Convention, of such ships as in fact conform to its standards (p. 108, p. 88, p. 116, Recommendation 15). CONSTRUCTION General Statement of Principles. 22. The provisions of the Convention applicable to the structural arrangement of ships, and to related matters, are contained in Chapter II, and in Regulations I to XXIII inclusive. The requirements are for new passenger ships to engage in international voyages, except as stated (in paragraph 25 of this statement) for existing ships. They do not apply to ships which are not mechanically propelled, or to wooden ships of primitive build, such as dhows, junks, etc. The provisions of the new Convention are based on the old Convention, but with important differences. There is a new "A" curve (the "B" curve of the old Convention) to govern for the lower standard. There is likewise a new curve for the higher standard. This is designated a "B" curve, and replaces the "C" curve of the former Convention. Formulae are adopted for the Criterion of Service Numeral substantially as recommended by the Bulkhead Committee and as proposed by Great Britain. Formulae are also adopted for estimating the average permeability of the machinery space and the space forward and abaft the machinery space. For machinery spaces calculated values, to the satisfaction of the Administration, may be substituted. The effect is to increase the percentage of permeability used for machinery spaces to approach more nearly such calculated and experimental results as were available to the Conference. A new requirement does not permit a factor of subdivision less than unity for any passenger ship shorter than 260 feet, or any passenger ship with a criterion numeral under a certain value, unless it is shown to the satisfaction of the Administration to be impracticable to comply with the factor unity in some part of the ship, in which case such relaxation as appears to be justified may be allowed. The same authority to grant relaxation as may appear to be justified, having regard to all the circumstances, is given for ships of any length which are certified to carry more than 12 passengers but not exceeding the number obtained by squaring the length in feet and dividing the product by 7,000, or the number 50, whichever is the less. Transverse stability is considered in Article 8 (p. 8, p. 8, p. 10) also in paragraph 8 of Regulation V (p. 42, p. 35, p. 43), and finally in Recommendation 1 (p. 105, p. 86, p. 112). There are numerous other changes and additions to the requirements of the previous Convention and to the Board of Trade Instructions, which have been followed to a certain extent in the United States for subjects not otherwise regulated. 23. The Convention reaffirms the principle stated in the previous Convention to the effect that "ships shall be as efficiently subdivided as is possible having regard to the nature of the service for which they are intended" (p. 7, p. 7, p. 9, Art. 5, par. 1). The Criterion of Service considers the use or assignment of the space in the ship below the margin line, that is, the volume for machinery, the volume for passengers and crew, and the volume for cargo. The volume for machinery and the total volume below the margin line are calculated. The passenger volume is taken as calculated, or as approximated by the product of six-tenths of the length in feet times the number of passengers for which the ship is to be certified, whichever is the greater. The ship's service therefore means the use of the space below the margin line, and the number of passengers for which certified. New Ships. 24. A "new" passenger ship is a ship the keel of which is laid on or after July 1, 1931, or a ship which is converted to passenger service on or after that date (p. 6, p. 7, p. 8, Art. 4, par. 2), and which carries more than 12 passengers (p. 6, p. 6, p. 8, Art. 2, par. 3, sub-par. d). All other passenger ships are "existing" passenger ships. Existing Ships. 25. Existing passenger ships engaged on international voyages and which do not already comply with the requirements of Chapter II relating to the construction of new ships shall be considered by the Administration of the country to which the ship belongs with a view to improvements being made to provide increased safety where practicable and reasonable (p. 7, p. 7, p. 9, Art. 4, par. 5). EXEMPTIONS THAT MAY BE GRANTED Voyages 20 Miles from Land. 26. Each Administration may exempt its ships that do not go more than 20 miles from the nearest land from the requirements of this chapter, provided the route and the conditions of the voyage render such requirements unnecessary or unreasonable (p. 6, p. 7, p. 8, Art. 4, par. 3). Voyages 200 Miles from Land. 27. In the case of its ships that do not go more than 200 miles from land, each Administration may allow relaxations from such of the requirements of Regulation IX ("Openings in Watertight Bulkheads," p. 43, p. 36, p. 45), Regulation X ("Openings in Ship's Sides below the Margin Line," p. 46, p. 38, p. 48), Regulation XV ("Double Bottoms," p. 50, p. 41, p. 52), and Regulation XIX ("Pumping Arrangements," p. 51, p. 42, p. 53) as may be proved to be neither reasonable nor practicable (p. 6, p. 7, p. 8, Art. 4, par. 4). The requirements referred to are set forth in paragraphs 54 to 68, inclusive, 72 to 80, inclusive, 85 and 88 of this statement. Carriage of Unberthed Passengers. 28. Each Administration may exempt such of its ships engaged on international voyages that carry large numbers of unberthed passengers in special trades, such for example as the pilgrim trade, from the requirements of this chapter, if satisfied that it is impracticable to enforce compliance therewith, and provided the fullest provision the trade will permit shall be made in the matter of construction, and provided further that steps shall be taken to formulate general rules which shall be applicable to the particular circumstances of these trades (p. 7, p. 7, p. 9, Art. 4, par. 6). WATERTIGHT SUBDIVISION OF SHIPS General Statement. 29. The degree of subdivision required by the Convention varies with the length of the ship and with the service (that is, the purpose for which the various spaces within the vessel are used), in such a manner that the highest degree of subdivision required corresponds with the ships of greatest length primarily engaged in the carriage of passengers. In other words, the longest ships, with the greatest percentage of their interior volume used for passengers and crew, have the highest degree of required subdivision. Definitions. 30. In addition to the general definitions (see paragraph 14 of this statement), the following definitions are necessary to a clear understanding of the chapter on construction (p. 36, p. 31, p. 37, Reg. I). (1) "Subdivision Loadline" is the water line used in determining the subdivision. The deepest subdivision load line is that which corresponds to the greatest draft. (2) "Length of the Ship" is the length between perpendiculars at the extremities of the deepest subdivision load line. (3) "Breadth of the Ship" is the extreme width of the ship from outside of frame to outside of frame, at or below the deepest subdivision load line. (4) "The Bulkhead Deck" is the uppermost deck to which the transverse watertight bulkheads are carried. (5) "The Margin Line" is a line parallel to the bulkhead deck at side, and 3 inches (76 millimeters) below the upper surface of that deck at side. (6) "Draft" is the vertical distance from the top of keel amidships to the subdivision load line in question. |