Regulation 27 GeneralI1

In every ship the machinery, boilers and other pressure vessels, and associated piping systems and fittings, shall be of a design and construction adequate for the service for which they are intended and shall be so installed and protected as to reduce to a minimum any danger to persons on board, due regard being paid to moving parts, hot surfaces and other hazards. The design shall have regard to the materials used in construction, the purpose for which the equipment is intended, the working conditions to which it will be subjected and the environmental conditions on board.

Where the arrangements of the main propulsion machinery are unconventional the Secretary of State may require a separate source of propulsion power to be provided sufficient to give the ship a navigable speed.

Means shall be provided whereby the normal operation of propulsion machinery can be sustained or restored when there is a breakdown of—

or any other auxiliary system essential for propulsion.

The Certifying Authority may for the purposes of this paragraph, if it is safe so to do, permit a partial reduction in propulsion capability from normal operation.

Main propulsion machinery and all auxiliary machinery essential to the propulsion and the safety of the ship shall be designed to operate when the ship is upright and when inclined at any angle of list up to and including 15 degrees either way under static conditions and 22.5 degrees either way under dynamic conditions (rolling) and simultaneously inclined dynamically (pitching) 7.5 degrees by bow or stern. The Certifying Authority may permit a reduction in these angles taking into consideration the type, size and service conditions of the ship.

Access shall be provided to facilitate the cleaning, inspection and maintenance of main propulsion and auxiliary machinery including boilers and pressure vessels.

Non-metallic expansion joints in piping systems, if located in a system which penetrates the ship’s side and both the penetration and the non-metallic expansion joint are located below the deepest load waterline, shall be replaced as necessary, and at an interval recommended by the manufacturer.

Operating and maintenance instructions and engineering drawings for ship machinery and equipment essential to the safe operation of the ship shall be written in a language understandable by those officers and crew members who are required to understand such information in the performance of their duties.

Location and arrangement of vent pipes for fuel oil service, settling and lubrication oil tanks shall be such that in the event of a broken vent pipe this shall not directly lead to the risk of ingress of seawater splashes or rainwater. Two fuel oil service tanks for each type of fuel used on board necessary for propulsion and vital systems or equivalent arrangements shall be provided for each new ship, with a capacity of at least 8 hours at maximum continuous rating of the propulsion plant and normal operating load at sea of the generator plant.