The Hong Kong Government has notified ClassNK of the special requirement for fall preventer devises (FPDs) for lifeboats on board Hong Kong-registered vessels as follows.

(a) With a view to reducing the accidental release of lifeboat, shipowners and managers of Hong Kong registered vessels are strongly urged to ensure that the lifeboats on their ships fitted with on-load release devices are equipped with fall preventer devices (FPD) as per paragraph 6 of the Guidelines for Evaluation and Replacement of Lifeboat Release and Retrieval Systems (MSC.1/Circ.1392), pending the evaluation which will be conducted in accordance with the above guidelines; and

(b) Provided that the existing lifeboat release and retrieval systems have been evaluated (not later than 1 July 2013) in accordance with the above guidelines as being non-compliant with the revised LSA Code, it is a mandatory requirement that FPDs are to be fitted to the subject lifeboat release and retrieval systems until the systems meet any one of the five conditions as stipulated in paragraph 6 of the guidelines; and

(c) In any case, every lifeboat on-load release mechanisms not complying with LSA code as newly amended are required to be replaced or modified to be made compliant, not later than the next scheduled dry-docking after 1 July 2014, but not later than 1 July 2019. (MSC.1/Circ.1392).

For any questions about the above, please contact:

NIPPON KAIJI KYOKAI (ClassNK)
Material and Equipment Department, Administration Center, Head Office
Address: 4-7 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8567, Japan
Tel.: +81-3-5226-2020
Fax: +81-3-5226-2057
E-mail: eqd@classnk.or.jp