This table presents the most important mandatory standards that will be required under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, relating to crews quarters, mess, recreational and medical facilities.
Most significant mandatory standards relating to ship design
Reg 3.1. Accommodation and recreational facilities standard A.3.1
General 6(a) Minimum permitted headroom: 203cm
Insulation 6(b) The accommodation shall be adequately insulated
6(c) In ships other than passenger ships, sleeping rooms shall be in general situated above the loadline amidships or aft
6(d) In passenger ships, the competent authority may, on condition that satisfactory arrangements are provided for ventilation and lighting, permit the location of sleeping rooms below the load line
6(e) There shall be no direct openings into sleeping rooms from cargo and machinery spaces or from galleys, storerooms, drying rooms or communal sanitary areas; that part of a bulkhead separating such places from sleeping rooms and external bulkheads shall be efficiently constructed of steel or other approved substance and be watertight and gas-tight
Ventilation and Heating 7(a) Sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be adequately ventilated
7(b) Ships, except those regularly engaged in temperate climates, shall be equipped with air conditioning for seafarer accommodation, for any separate radio room and for any centralised machinery control room
7(c) All sanitary spaces shall have ventilation to the open air, independently of any other part of the accommodation
7(d) An appropriate heating system shall be provided, except in ships exclusively on voyages in tropical climates
Lighting 8 Sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be lit by natural light and provided with adequate artificial light
Sleeping Rooms 9(a) In ships other than passenger ships, an individual sleeping room shall be provided for each seafarer (exemptions may be granted for ships of less than 3,000GT or special purpose ships)
9(b) Separate sleeping room shall be provided for men and women
9(d) A separate berth for each seafarer shall in all circumstances be provided
9(e) Berth's minimum inside dimensions: 198x80cm
9(f) Floor area of single berth seafarers' sleeping rooms (reduced areas may be permitted in special circumstances):
-4.5 square metres (less than 3,000GT)
-5.5 square metres (3,000GT)
-7 square metres (more than 10,000GT)
9(k) Floor area of sleeping room in ships other than passenger ships and special purpose ships for seafarers who perform the duty of ship's officer:
-7.5 square metres (rooms accommodating 2 persons)
-11.5 square metres (rooms accommodating 3 persons)
-14.5 square metres (rooms accommodating 4 persons)
9(l) Floor area of sleeping rooms in passenger ships and special purpose ships for seafarers performing the duty of ship's officer:
-7.5 square metres per person for junior officers (operational level)
-8.5 square metres per person for senior officers (management level)
9(n) For each occupant, the furniture shall include a clothes locker (minimum 475 litres) and a drawer (minimum 56 litres)
9(o) Each sleeping room shall be provided with table or desk
Mess Rooms 10(a) Located apart from sleeping room and as close as practicable to the galley (exemptions may be granted for ships of less than 3,000GT)
Sanitary Facilities 11(a) Separate for men and women
11(b) Easy access of the navigating bridge and the machinery space or near the engine room control centre (exemptions may be granted for ships of less than 3,000GT)
11(c) A minimum of one toilet, one wash basin and one tub or shower or both for every six persons who do not have personal facilities
11(d) With the exception of passenger ships, one washbasin with hot and cold running fresh water in each sleeping room
11(e) Hot and cold running fresh water in all wash places
11(f) Special arrangements and/or reduction may be granted for passenger ships normally engaged on voyages of not more than 4 hours
Hospital 12 Ships carrying 15 or more seafarers and engaged in a voyage of more than three days duration shall provide separate hospital accommodation to be used exclusively for medical purposes
Laundry Facilities 13 Appropriately situated laundry facilities shall be provided
Open Space 14 All ships shall have a space or spaces on open deck to which the seafarers can have access when off duty, which are of adequate area having regard to the size of the ship and the number of seafarers on board
Office(s) 15 All ships shall be provided with separate offices or a common ship's office for use by deck and engine departments (exemptions may be granted for ships of less than 3,000GT)
Recreational Facilities 17 Appropriate seafarers' recreational facilities, amenities and services, as adapted to meet the special needs of seafarers who must live and work on ships, shall provided on board for the benefit of all seafarers
Reg. 3.2. Food and Catering Standard A.3.2
Food and Catering The ship shall be designed so as to ensure that spaces and equipment for the storage and handling of food and drinking water as well as galley and other equipment for the preparation and serving of meals are provided
Proposed required accommodation and recreational facilities for ships and yachts, under the initial Marine Labour Convention 2006 guidelines.