# The Merchant Shipping (Musters, Training and Decision Support Systems) Regulations 1999, Regulation 12: On-board training and instructions

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(1) This regulation shall apply to any ship of Class I, II, II(A), III, VII, VII(T), VIII, VIII(T), VIII(A), VIII(A)(T), or IX and to any ship of Class XI engaged on an international voyage.
(2) On-board training in the use of the ship’s life-saving appliances, including survival craft equipment and fire-extinguishing appliances, shall, subject to paragraph (3) below, be given to each crew member–
(a) as soon as possible; or
(b) in any event not more than 2 weeks,
after he joins the ship.
(3) If a crew member is on a regularly scheduled rotating assignment to the ship, the training required by paragraph (2) above shall be given not later than 2 weeks after the time of his first joining the ship.
(4) Instructions in–
(i) the use of the ship’s life-saving appliances;
(ii) survival at sea; and
(iii) the use of the ship’s fire-extinguishing appliances,
shall be given at the same interval as the drills required by these Regulations.
(5) Individual instructions may cover different parts of the ship’s life saving system and fire-extinguishing appliances, but all the ship’s life-saving equipment and fire-extinguishing appliances shall be covered within any period of 2 months.
(6) Each member of the crew shall be given instructions which shall include but not necessarily be limited to:
(a) operation and use of the ship’s inflatable liferafts;
(b) problems of hypothermia, first-aid treatment for hypothermia and other appropriate first-aid procedures;
(c) special instructions necessary for the use of the ship’s life-saving appliances in severe weather and severe sea conditions; and
(d) operation and use of fire-extinguishing appliances.
(7) On-board training in the use of davit-launched liferafts shall take place at intervals of not more than 4 months on every ship fitted with such appliances.
(8) Whenever practicable the training required by paragraph (7) above shall include the inflation and lowering of a liferaft.
(9) The liferaft referred to in paragraph (8) above may be a special liferaft intended for training purposes only, which is not part of the ship’s life-saving equipment; such a special liferaft shall be conspicuously marked.
(10) Every member of the crew with assigned emergency duties in respect of a voyage shall be familiar with those duties before the voyage begins.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/2722/regulation/12 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-musters-training-and-decision-support-systems-regulations-1999/regulation-12
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.