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1.11 Pre-Departure Safety Checks and Briefing. The owner of the vessel and/or the master should plan every voyageconsidering the weather forecasts, tidal information, charts andpilotage information and have checked that the engine has beenmaintained and the vessel carries sufficient fuel, with reserves,for the intended voyage. Before departure, every person on board should be wearing anapproved lifejacket or personal flotation device having beenbriefed by the master on its donning and, if of the inflatabletype, its operation. The master should brief at least one other person on board on theuse of a lifebuoy, use of hand-held distress flares or horn,procedures and operation of any communications equipment, procedurefor the recovery of a person from the water, operation of thepropulsion engine, and the voyage plan and directions to safeplaces of refuge. The vessel should carry a chart covering the planned voyage and alist of emergency contacts. 2. Areas of operation For the purposes of the 2002 Regulations, areas of smooth watersare specified in the Appendix to this Marine Notice. Smooth watersare interpreted for tidal rivers and estuaries and large, deeplakes and loughs where the significant wave height could not beexpected to exceed 1.2 metres at any time. An owner of a vessel wishing to operate in an area of water notcontained in the Appendix may apply in writing to the ChiefSurveyor of the Marine Survey Office clearly stating a case for thearea of water to be classified as "smooth waters." 3. The 2002 Regulations Regulation 3 – The class of vessel exempt from therequirement to be licensed. Vessels referred to in Regulation 3 are open vessels of no lessthan 4 metres in length, carrying no more than 3 passengers onboard for the purpose of angling and engaged on domestic voyages insmooth waters on canals, rivers, lakes and loughs. The passengers may only be on board for the specific purpose ofangling and may not go outside the limits of smooth waters asspecified in the Appendix. For clarity all inland canals, rivers,lakes and loughs are regarded as smooth waters. It is expected thatnot more than two crew will be on board this class of vessel. Regulation 4(1) - General Safety Provisions. The master, person-in-charge of the vessel must take account ofother people and vessels on the water and should have knowledge ofthe Collision Regulations and any local rules relevant to the areaof operation. The class exempt vessel must be in the charge of a responsibleperson over the age of eighteen. The person in charge of the vessel should not operate the vesselwhilst under the influence of an intoxicant. Passengers shouldrefrain from being under the influence of any intoxicant whilst onboard the vessel as intoxicants not only impair judgement, they canhave a debilitating effect on a person in the water by increasingblood flow to the skin and accelerating the onset of hypothermia.Further guidance is given in Marine Notice No. 7 of 2002. Every vessel must be maintained in good condition with regard tothe hull, machinery and equipment. Hull damage must be repaired promptly and prior to carryingpassengers. Every hull should be inspected regularly for any signs of damageor deterioration, especially with regard to their area ofoperation. For example, any vessel that is regularly grounded ormounted on a trailer, a close inspection of the hull should be madeat least weekly and any damage attended to. The frequency ofinspection of any vessel should be appropriate but at least onceevery year. The marine outboard engine should be serviced at leastonce every year in accordance with the manufacturer"sinstructions. Equipment should be inspected, checked and, ifappropriate, tested weekly to ensure that it is in place, in dateand ready for immediate use at all times. Every vessel must be ‘fit for purpose". For example, avessel operating in smooth waters in a river estuary may need to bemore robust and fitted with a marine outboard engine of greaterpower than an engine fitted to a vessel operating within theconfines of a canal. Every vessel must be designed and built toaccommodate the number of passengers and crew that it will carry.It must have adequate stability to accommodate every person onboard without capsize. Persons on board may be seated or standing,however if stability is determined with the persons seated thenstanding in the vessel should not be allowed whilst on the water.The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport recommend that everysuch vessel is fitted with sufficient reserve buoyancy to ensurethat the fully loaded vessel is capable of staying afloat andupright in the event of being swamped. Owners considering buying a vessel are recommended to consider avessel that is CE marked indicating compliance with theRecreational Craft Directive. Further guidance on recreational craft can be found in MarineNotices No.6 of 2005 and No. 56 of 2011. Regulation 4(2) – Construction, Machinery and Equipment. Every vessel must be constructed of any material listed in the 2002Regulations and be ‘fit for purpose". Before owners make a declaration for a vessel constructed of othermaterials they should satisfy themselves that the material and thevessel"s method of construction is at least equivalent to avessel constructed of one of the listed materials in relation toits strength, buoyancy, ability to support number of persons etc. Every marine outboard engine is to be designed, built for thepurpose and may be petrol, diesel or electric powered. Any modifiedoutboard or ‘home made" engine is not consideredsuitable. Any electric outboard motor is considered suitableprovided enough battery reserve is fitted on board to cover thearea of operation. A suitable pair of oars with rowlocks that can be safely handled byone person on board any vessel and are capable of propelling andsteering the vessel steadily through the water when fully loaded atthe same time. Adequate seating or thwarts is taken to mean that all persons onboard can be seated allowing at least 460mm of seating per person. Bailers must be capable of effectively removing water from allparts of the vessel where water may accumulate. More than one bailer should be provided if water does not readilydrain to a single collection point or bilge. A suitable bailer maybe in the form of a small open topped plastic container such as a5-litre container with the top cut off to allow water to be scoopedfrom the bottom of the vessel. A suitable anchor should be of a recognised pattern such as afolding, kedge or fisherman"s anchor of size and weightrecommended by the manufacturer for the size of the vessel. Thebreaking strain of the rope is to match the anchor and anymanufacturer"s instructions should be adhered to. The anchorand rope, with the end securely attached to the vessel, should bestowed in such a way that it will not interfere with any persons onboard. The painter should be of good quality non-kinking rope and fastenedat one end to a strong point on the bow of the vessel to allow thevessel to be towed. An approved hand-held distress flare is one that carries the MarineEquipment Directive symbol as described. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport recommend that alldistress flares are stored in a readily accessible waterproofcontainer. The waterproof container is to protect the flares in theevent of flooding or in the event of abandon ship. A suitable boat hook is one that is long enough and strong enoughto assist in the recovery of a person from the water and to aid inberthing of the vessel. It should be round nosed to prevent injuryto personnel. A suitable waterproof torch is one that will withstand immersion inwater for a short period of time and retain the ability to work. Astandard rubber torch will normally comply with this regulation. An approved portable fuel tank, CE marked, for use with anyoutboard engine is the fuel tank supplied by or recommended by theengine manufacturer, complete with the hoses and fittings, for usewith their engines. Portable tanks are to be secured in place onthe vessel to stop them moving about. This may consist of purpose-made brackets, lugs and ratchettie-down straps or any similar means that is effective on thevessel concerned. Hoses should be routed and secured so that equipment, chaffing,persons etc. do not damage them. Any spare fuel is to be carried in another approved portable fueltank. Decanting fuel from jerry cans or similar cans is not permitted onboard due to the risk of fire. Accumulator batteries should be stored securely against movement infixed containers with lids. Containers should be made of, or lined with, materials resistantto corrosion from electrolyte. Ventilation should be provided by holes at the base and top of thecontainers to remove gases produced by charging of the batteries. Hydrogen gas, which is lighter than air, does not tend to‘flow" particularly well and any ventilator pipesshould be straight or have a minimum number of swept bends. Theconnections to batteries should be made using correctly fittedclamps, bolts and swaged fittings. Manufacturers" recommendations should be adhered to. Loose or frayed connections, bolts clamped direct to wire strandsand similar connections are not considered suitable. An approved lifejacket is one that carries the wheel mark symbolsignifying compliance with the Marine Equipment Directive. Onexisting vessels, lifesaving appliances made before theintroduction of the wheelmark symbol must comply with therequirements of the SOLAS Convention in order to be consideredapproved. An approved personal flotation device (PFD) is one that carries theCE marking and complies at least with EN ISO 12402: Part 3 –performance level 150 newton (superseded standard EN396). Furtherguidance is given in Marine Notice No. 7 of 2002. Every person on board should wear an approved lifejacket orpersonal flotation device at all times. The means of recovery is to allow a person in the water to gain afirm foothold to enable them to climb back on board. Similarly it should allow a person on board access to a person inthe water who may be unconscious or otherwise unable to climb onboard. One of the following means should be considered: Rigid aluminium, plastic or wood ladder capable of being hookedover or fastened to the gunwale and extending into the water for adistance of at least three steps. A transom step sufficiently close to the waterline to allow aperson in the water to climb onto it and then into the vessel. Thestep should be clear of propellers or propellers should be fittedwith guards. In the case of a vessel having a low freeboard allowing persons inthe water to be recovered over the side with the assistance of aperson, a non-floating rope ladder may be provided unless it can bedemonstrated in practice that this is not necessary. Regulation 5 – Declaration. A Declaration Form , for submission to the Minister for stamping, is to be fullycompleted by the owner of a vessel and submitted by post to theMarine Survey Office. Any Declaration not fully completed will be returned to the ownerunstamped for resubmission. Postal address – Marine Survey Office, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, IRELAND. Important Note The Declaration is an important undertaking by the owner of avessel and in the Declaration, the owner is declaring in writing tothe Minister that the vessel complies with the 2002 Regulations. The owner of a vessel may not use the vessel, under this particularClass Exemption for unlicensed vessels, until the owner is inreceipt of the Declaration for the vessel stamped by the Minister. An owner is under no obligation to sign a declaration if he or shefeels that their vessel does not comply with the 2002 Regulations,however a vessel that does not fully comply with the 2002Regulations is not exempt from licencing. Where an owner may have doubts concerning their vessel they are atliberty to make application to the Minister for a passenger boatinspection. Following inspection, if an authorised person hasstated in a report of inspection that the vessel is suitable foruse as a passenger boat, subject to such conditions andrestrictions as the authorised person may specify, and complieswith the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Boat) Regulations 2002, [ S.I.No. 273 of 2002 ], as amended, then the Minister will grant a Passenger BoatLicence to the owner. Craft Identification Number (CIN) It is a requirement that each recreational craft is marked with aCIN. This number is unique to each craft and may be found permanentlymarked into the transom on the starboard side at the top. Marine Notice No. 01 of 2003 is hereby superseded. Director General, Maritime Safety Directorate, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, Ireland. 25/05/2012 Encl. Appendix. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Cardboard Paper Box Manufacturer , China Custom Magazine Printing, and more. For more , please visit Gift Packaging Boxes today!
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