Australia

Recovery of Persons from Water

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has recently released its Marine Notice 12/2014, which details the requirements for ships to have plans and procedures for the recovery of persons from water.

The latest set of amendments from the IMO include SOLAS regulation III/17-1 which requires all ships to have plans and procedures for the recovery of persons from the water and came into force at the beginning of July 2014.

The IMO has developed the following circulars which contain guidance to assists owners and operators to meet the requirements of SOLAS regulation III/17-1:

• MSC.1/Circ.1447 – Guidelines for the Development of Plans and Procedures for Recovery of Persons from the Water
• MSC.1/Circ.1182 – Guide to Recovery Techniques
• MSC.1/Circ.1185/Rev.1. – Guide for Cold Water Survival

The procedures should identify any equipment intended to be used in such a scenario and recommends that drills are carried out to ensure crew are familiar with the plans and procedures.

Copies of the relevant IMO documents are available on the IMO website here and here.