Ladders and portable gangways on ships must comply with SOLAS regulation
Accommodation ladders and portable gangways on ships must comply with SOLAS regulation II-1/3-9 and the construction, installation, maintenance and testing requirements as detailed in MSC.1/Circ.1331 (applicable to ships built after 01 Jan 2010), and, additionally, with any applicable local regulations.
It is good practice to land the ‘foot’ of the accommodation ladder on the shore so that the fall wire is not subject to continuous stress. However, at berths fitted with large fenders, there may be a wide gap between the hull and the quay, and slewing the accommodation ladder for landing on the wharf will require shore assistance, can impose high loads on the system and also increase the risk of an accident.
For such situations, many vessels are equipped with an approved ‘extension gangway’ that is designed be secured athwartships to the bottom platform of the accommodation ladder, providing a safe ‘bridge’ to the shore. When berthed in ports with high tidal range, or when obstructions on the quay could foul the ladder, it may be more prudent to leave it suspended so that the crew can tend it continuously. In most designs, the gangway fall wire leads from the winch to an outrigger from where it is reeved through sheaves on both inboard and outboard sides of the ladder.
When the ladder is slewed outboard and its foot is landed on the shore, the fall wire on the outboard side tends to lead across the steps, obstructing free passage. On many vessels, the cheek plates of these side sheaves are hinged (similar to a snatch block) in order to allow the crew to temporarily unreeve the wire from the outboard sheave and move it clear of the access.
If the accommodation ladder has to be hoisted in an emergency, precious time may be lost in ‘re-reeving’ the fall wire. This means that this practice must be carefully reviewed. One method of maintaining clear access would be to lash a tall vertical stanchion to the outboard side of the ladder and without unreeving the fall wires, loosely secure the slack wires to the top of this stanchion using short lengths of yarn that can either be released quickly or will part when the winch takes up minimal weight.
Source: Mars/Nautical Institute
