The Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship) (Bilge Alarm) Regulations 2021
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 2021/592 |
| Year | 2021 |
2021 No. 592
Merchant ShippingSafety
The Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship) (Bilge Alarm) Regulations 2021
Made 17th May 2021
Laid before Parliament 24th May 2021
Coming into force 30th June 2021
The Secretary of State in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 85(1), (3)(a), (d) and (f), (6) and (7) and 86(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 19951, and having consulted the persons referred to in section 86(4) of that Act, makes the following Regulations.
Citation. commencement and extent
1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Cargo Ship) (Bilge Alarm) Regulations 2021 and come into force on 30th June 2021.
(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Interpretation
2. In these Regulations—
“cargo ship” means a mechanically propelled ship that is not a—
(a) passenger ship;
(b) warship;
(c) fishing vessel; or
(d) pleasure vessel;
“passenger” means any person carried on a ship except—
(a) a person employed or engaged in any capacity on the business of the ship;
(b) a person on board the ship either in pursuance of the obligation laid upon the master to carry shipwrecked, distressed or other persons, or by reason of any circumstance that neither the master nor the owner nor the charterer (if any) could have prevented or forestalled; or
(c) a child of under one year of age;
“passenger ship” means a ship which carries more than 12 passengers;
“pleasure vessel” means—
(a) any vessel which at the time it is being used is—
(i) in the case of a vessel wholly owned by—
(aa) an individual or individuals, used only for the sport or pleasure of the owner or the immediate family or friends of the owner; or
(bb) a body corporate, used only for sport or pleasure and on which the persons are employees or officers of the body corporate, or their immediate family or friends; and
(ii) on a voyage or excursion which is one for which the owner does not receive money for or in connection with operating the vessel or carrying any person, other than as a contribution to the direct expenses of the operation of the vessel incurred during the voyage or excursion; or
(b) any vessel wholly owned by or on behalf of a members’ club formed for the purpose of sport or pleasure which, at the time it is being used, is used only for the sport or pleasure of members of the club or their immediate family; and for the use of which any charges levied are paid into club funds and applied for the general use of the club,
where, in the case of any vessel referred to in paragraphs (a) or (b) no other payments are made by or on behalf of the users of the vessel, other than by the owner; and in this definition “immediate family” means, in relation to an individual, the spouse or civil partner of the individual, and a relative of the individual or the relative’s spouse or civil partner, and “relative” means brother, sister, ancestor or lineal descendant.
Application
3.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), these Regulations apply to—
(a)
(a) United Kingdom ships which are cargo ships of less than 500 gross tons and which are 24 metres or more in length, wherever they may be; and
(b)
(b) non-United Kingdom cargo ships of less than 500 gross tons and which are 24 metres or more in length, while they are within United Kingdom waters.
(2) These Regulations do not apply to—
(a)
(a) non-United Kingdom cargo ships exercising the right of—
(i) innocent passage; or
(ii) transit passage through straits used for international navigation; and
(b)
(b) any naval auxiliary or other ship owned or operated by a State and used, for the time being, only on government, non-commercial service.
(3) In this regulation—
“gross tons” means the gross tonnage of a ship determined in accordance with the Schedule (Gross Tonnage);
“length” has the same meaning as in regulation 2 of the Merchant Shipping (Load Line) Regulations 19982.
Bilge water level detectors and alarms
4.—(1) A ship to which these Regulations apply must, at its effective date, have a bilge water level detector installed in—
(a)
(a) any engine room; and
(b)
(b) any other space where bilge water is likely to accumulate.
(2) A bilge water level detector referred to in paragraph (1) must sound an audible alarm which meets the requirements of paragraph (3)—
(a)
(a) at the control position, immediately upon the bilge water reaching the relevant level; and
(b)
(b) in all accommodation spaces, if the alarm has not been switched off at the control position after 30 seconds of the bilge water reaching the relevant level.
(3) The alarm must sound at a volume which—
(a)
(a) in the case of the control position, will be heard; and
(b)
(b) in the case of an accommodation space, is capable of waking a sleeping person,
in all of the weather and operational conditions reasonably anticipated to be applicable to that ship.
(4) Where a ship is fitted with more than one bilge water level detector, there must be a visual alarm at the control position which shows which of the bilge water level detectors has detected water reaching the relevant level.
(5) The bilge water level detectors and associated alarms required by this regulation must be able to continue to operate when the ship’s main power supply is not in operation.
(6) In this regulation—
“accommodation space” means a space used as a public space, corridor, lavatory, cabin, office, hospital, cinema, games and hobby room, barber shop, pantry without cooking appliances or any similar space;
“bilge water” means any water or other liquids that collect in the...
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