Panama: Manning of survival craft and supervision

The Panama Maritime Authority issued the merchant marine circular MMC-68 for manning of survival craft and supervision.

The circular was published on 1 November 2023.

Purpose:

It introduces new regulations since the 1983 Amendments to SOLAS 74, specifically in Chapter III regarding "Lifesaving Appliances and Arrangements." and focuses on Regulation 10, which sets new requirements for the manning of survival craft.

Scope / Applicability:

Certificated person requirements apply to all vessels engaged in international voyages.
Emphasizes the need for a sufficient number of crew members, including deck officers or certificated persons, for operating survival craft and launching arrangements.

Background:

Previous SOLAS requirements were limited to certificated lifeboatmen on passenger vessels.
New requirements apply to all vessel types in international voyages, introducing the concept of a "certificated person" defined in Regulation 3 of SOLAS Chapter III.

Requirements:

Clarifies criteria for a "sufficient number" of deck officers and/or certificated persons on board.
Specifies the minimum number of certificated persons on each lifeboat for Panama-flagged ships.
Outlines duties of certificated persons, including maintaining lists of assigned personnel and ensuring their readiness.
Differentiates requirements for vessels with lifeboats and liferafts, assigning a deck officer or certificated person to each.
Allows for flexibility in assigning persons practiced in liferaft handling when approved by the Administration.
Mandates the inclusion of deck officers and/or certificated persons in the Muster List to ensure the readiness of survival crafts.
Acknowledges that Deck Officers, by virtue of their Certificates of Competency, are considered proficient in survival craft.

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