Updated Inland Waters Passenger Ship Code
The revised Inland Water Passenger Ship Code (MSN 1823 Edition 2) contains safety standards that aim to meet the expected normal levels of risk in ships’ operating environments and includes simplified requirements where appropriate. The requirements apply to ships constructed, or which have been converted to passenger ships, on or after 1 January 2018.
A while ago now, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) undertook a review of the regulations for passenger ships operating solely within UK categorised waters. This led to the original edition of this safety Code which provided the principal technical requirements for such ships in a single comprehensive document – MSN 1823 – and this was introduced in 2010.
These requirements have been further reviewed and revised in recent years. This revision has been undertaken in consultation with the UK domestic passenger ship industry, including British Marine, members of the Passenger Boat Association (a group association within British Marine) and marine surveyors. The result is MSN 1823 Edition 2: The Safety Code for Passenger Ships Operating Solely in UK Categorised Waters.
This revised Code contains safety standards that aim to meet the expected normal levels of risk in ships’ operating environments and includes simplified requirements where appropriate. This included changes to:
• a number of safety requirements that were deemed disproportionate to the level of risk encountered by a majority of applicable ships
• a smaller number of requirements for which the standards laid down were not sufficiently robust
• better explain or clarify certain existing requirements
The full MSN document is available to download from the following link – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/msn-1823-m-edition-2-the-inland-waters-passenger-ship-code and British Marine urges any member involved in operating a passenger vessel on an inland waterway to review this new edition.
British Marine members may obtain further information by contacting Ed Tuite at etuite@britishmarine.co.uk
