The Manx Government has notified ClassNK of instructions in relation to life-saving appliances.

1. Maintenance of Falls used in Launching
(1) Falls used in launching any survival craft shall be turned end for end at intervals not exceeding 30 months and shall be renewed whenever necessary due to deterioration or at the end of 5 years whichever shall occur first, provided that in systems which have a continuous fall arrangement the fall need not be tuned end for end but shall whenever practicable be adjusted at intervals not exceeding 24 months in such a manner that any part of the fall in contact with a sheave when the survival craft is in the stowed position is no longer in contact after adjustment and the falls shall be renewed whenever necessary due to deterioration or at the end of 4 years whichever shall occur first.
(2) Notwithstanding the above paragraph (1), falls which are made from stainless steel of suitable quality need not be renewed within the lifetime recommended by the manufacturer or supplier provided that at each thorough examination in accordance with Regulation 20.11.1 of Chapter III of 1996 Amendments to 1974 SOLAS there are no signs of deterioration, mechanical damage, or other defect. Such falls should wherever practicable be adjusted at intervals not exceeding 30 months in such a manner that any part of the fall in contact with a sheave when the survival craft is in the stowed position is no longer in contact after adjustment.

2. Recovery strop arrangement in adverse sea conditions
Every lifeboat which is also a rescue boat and, in ships which are not provided with a rescue boat, one of the lifeboat, shall be provided with arrangement for the safe recovery of the lifeboat or rescue boat in adverse sea conditions in accordance with Regulation 17.5 of Chapter III of 1996 Amendments to 1974 SOLAS.
This requirement shall be also applied for ships constructed before 1 July 1998.

(To be continued)

3. Lifejackets
(1) Additional lifejackets for the use of the persons on watch and for use at remote survival stations shall be provided as follows:
(I) at least 4 where the number of persons on board is 16 or less.
(ii) at least 25 % of the number of persons where the number of persons on board exceeds 16.
The number of additional lifejackets need not exceed the number of persons on board.
(2) Where a free-fall lifeboat is installed on board the ship, inflatable lifejackets which are complying with the LSA Code should be provided for the number of persons on board. If the inflatable lifejackets are additional to the ship's provision of inherently buoyant lifejackets, it is recommended that the inflatable lifejackets are stowed in a suitable container in the vicinity of the embarkation platform for the free-fall lifeboat.

4. Immersion suits and anti-exposure suits
(1) Immersion suits and anti-exposure suits on board are to be of insulated type, if the ship makes the following voyages:
(I) North of latitude 65 degrees North in the Atlantic Ocean;
(ii) North of latitude 55 degrees North in the Pacific Ocean;
(iii) South of latitude 50 degrees South; or
(iv) East of longitude 10 degrees East in the Kattegat and Baltic Sea between 1st December and 30th April, inclusive.
(2) Immersion suits required by Regulation 32.3 of Chapter III of 1996 Amendments to 1974 SOLAS may not be equipped, if the ship is constantly engaged on voyages between the parallels of 20 degrees North and South.

For an