ClassNK released the Rules for the Survey and Construction of Passenger Ships/Guidance and related amendments

The Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has released the Rules for the Survey and Construction of Passenger Ships/Guidance and related amendments.

The Rules for the Survey and Construction of Passenger Ships/Guidance have been released on 28 June 2023 and are in force from 1 July 2023.

The amendments were published on 30 June 2023 and are in force from the same date.

General

These Rules outline the survey and construction procedures for passenger ships registered under the Regulations for the Classification and Registry of Ships.

A passenger ship refers to a vessel carrying more than twelve passengers, excluding certain individuals like the ship's crew and children under one-year-old.

Ships intended for registry with restricted services must meet the relevant Parts of the Rules, although ClassNK can modify some requirements if necessary.

National Regulations

In addition to the Rules, ships must comply with the National Regulations of their registration country.

ClassNK may impose special requirements based on instructions from the flag government or the government of the nation where the ships operate.

Conditions for Ship's Owner or Master

International voyages require compliance with the ship's owner, master, or other relevant personnel's conditions, as specified in the latest SOLAS Convention.

These conditions may include logging information and restricting access to certain areas.

Special Trade Passenger Ships

Ships engaged in special trades, like the pilgrim trade, may be exempt from certain Rules' requirements if enforcement is impractical.

However, these ships must fully comply with the Rules annexed to the Special Trade Passenger Ships Agreement, 1971, and the Protocol on Space Requirements for Special Trade Passenger Ships, 1973.

High-Speed Craft and Moored Floating Unit

High-speed crafts specified in the Rules for High-Speed Craft and moored floating units specified in the Rules for Steel Ships have their specific requirements that override general Rules.

Ships Using Low-flashpoint Fuels

Ships using low-flashpoint fuels must adhere to Part GF of the Rules for Steel Ships and meet specific conditions:

• (1) The fuel tank's boundary should not be closer than B'/10 (minimum of 0.8 m) to the shell plating or aft terminal, except when the shell plating is inboard of B'/5 or 11.5 m.
• (2) Fuel tanks should be positioned aft of a transverse plane at 0.08Lf, measured from the forward perpendicular.
• (3) When applying the requirements of 5.3.4(1), Part GF, the maximum value of fCN should be 0.02 instead of 0.04.

Equivalency

Except for Part GF, ClassNK accepts alternative hull constructions, equipment, materials, arrangements, and scantlings if they are considered equivalent to the Rules' requirements for Steel Ships.

For more information, please see the documents below (available only to subscribers):

Rules for the Survey and Construction of Passenger Ships/Guidance

Amendments to the Rules/Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Passenger Ships