The Maritime Safety Committee, during its ninety-fifth session, confirmed that there was no need to amend International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulation II-1/11 or to develop any associated guidelines, as the safety level is sufficient.
As a result, it was concluded that International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Unified Requirement (UR) S14 on the testing procedures of watertight compartments, will be available for any Flag Administration to use on a case-by-case basis as an alternative or equivalent to SOLAS regulation II-1/11.
Now, IACS issued the Revision 6 of UR S14 for application to ships contracted for construction on or after 01 January 2018. The revised UR now contains two parts:
- PART A SOLAS Ships (including Common Structural Rules for Bulk Carriers & Oil Tankers)
- PART B Non-SOLAS Ships and SOLAS Exempt/Equivalent Ships
Moreover, the Republic of Marshall Islands provides information regarding the SOLAS regulation II-1/11, as well as the IACS Unified Requirement (UR) S14.
You can see the full circular about watertight compartments, by clicking in the PDF herebelow
