The IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC), chaired by Mr. Kevin Hunter (United Kingdom), held its fifth session from 22 to 26 January 2018. Important items discussed such as amendments to SOLAS Regulation with respect to safe mooring for all ships as well as safety standards for the carriage of more than 12 industrial personnel (IP) on board vessels engaged on international voyages.
In summary, the key highlights of the meeting include:
- SDC 5 finalized the draft Guidelines on stability computers and shore-based support for passenger ships constructed before 1 January 2014.
- SDC 5 agreed to a draft resolution on amendments to the 2011 ESP Code to be submitted to MSC 99 for approval, with a view to subsequent adoption at MSC 100 and entry into force on 1 July 2020.
- SDC 5 also agreed to the draft amendments to SOLAS regulation II-1/3-8 on safe mooring operations, with a view to submission to MSC 101 for approval.
- SDC 5 finalized the draft Guidelines for wing-in-ground craft and prepared the associated draft MSC circular for submission to MSC 99, for approval.
- SDC 5 made considerable progress on the development of the draft new SOLAS chapter XV and the draft new code on safety standards for the carriage of more than 12 industrial personnel (IP) on board vessels engaged on international voyages.
