Consultation on a revised code of practice for the safety of fishing vessels of less than 15m length overall
This consultation requests comments on the proposed revision of the code of practice for the safety of fishing vessels of less than 15m length overall, replacing MSN 1871 Amendment No.1.
In the last 10 years, there have been 46 fatalities on small fishing vessels which have resulted in several recommendations from the Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) to improve safety. Some of these came into force in 2017 with the introduction of a new code, MSN 1871.
MSN 1871 Amendment No.1 currently contains requirements for life saving appliances, detecting flooding, construction of new fishing vessels, stability of new fishing vessels of 12m and over, crew accommodation and modifications to vessels.
To address the remaining recommendations, the MCA have developed a new code of practice for small fishing vessels, proposing new requirements for new and existing vessels in the following areas:
The new code proposed new requirements relating to:
- Construction, watertight and weather-tight integrity for all vessels
- Stability for new and existing vessels of all sizes
- Machinery for all vessels
- Electrical installations for all vessels
- Crew protection
- Man overboard recovery
- In and out of water inspections
Please see the consultation document for more detail.
Ways to respondPlease email your consultation response form (Appendix A) to: fishing@mcga.gov.uk