# The Merchant Shipping (Musters, Training and Decision Support Systems) Regulations 1999, Regulation 4: Decision support systems

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

(1) Subject to paragraph (2) below, this regulation shall apply to any ship of Class I, II or II(A).
(2) Any ship to which this regulation applies the keel of which was laid or which was at a similar stage of construction before 1st July 1997 need not comply with the requirements of this regulation until the ship’s first periodical survey after 1st July 1999.
(3) On every ship a decision support system for emergency management shall be provided on the navigation bridge.
(4) The decision support system provided pursuant to paragraph (3) above shall, as a minimum, consist of a printed emergency plan in English and, if different, in the working language of the crew, in respect of each Class in which the ship operates.
(5) The emergency plan or plans provided shall–
(a) identify all foreseeable emergency situations including, but not limited to–
(i) fire;
(ii) damage to the ship;
(iii) pollution caused or likely to be caused by the ship;
(iv) unlawful acts threatening the safety of the ship and the security of its passengers and crew;
(v) serious accidents or injuries to the crew or passengers;
(vi) serious cargo-related accidents; and
(vii) being required to provide emergency assistance to another ship;
(b) establish emergency procedures for each emergency situation identified;
(c) provide decision support to the master for handling any combination of the emergency situations identified;
(d) have a uniform structure and be clear and easy to understand in accordance with Marine Guidance Note 71(M); and
(e) where applicable, use the actual loading condition as calculated for the ship’s voyage stability for damage control purposes.
(6) Subject to paragraph (7) below, in addition to the printed emergency plan or plans required to be carried under this regulation the ship may carry a computer-based decision support system on the navigation bridge and in any other safety control centre.
(7) A computer-based system as mentioned in paragraph (6) above may only be carried on a ship if it–
(a) provides all the information contained in the emergency plan or plans, including the emergency procedures, and any associated checklists, referred to in paragraph (5)(b) above; and
(b) is able to present a list of recommended actions to be carried out in any foreseeable emergency situation.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/2722/regulation/4 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-musters-training-and-decision-support-systems-regulations-1999/regulation-4
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.