Rules and their authors
Governing: CESOR written syllabus sections 1, 6 and 7. Builds on: SV Engineer Officer of the Watch.
Why a chief engineer needs this
The CESOR paper (assessment code 059-01 in MIN 712 Amendment 1) starts with institutions, not machinery. The examiner is testing whether you can trace a requirement on your yacht back to its source, judge how binding it is, and know who can enforce it.
The IMO
The International Maritime Organization is the UN agency that writes the international safety and pollution rules.
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| Assembly | All Member States; highest governing body; meets every two years |
| Council | Executive organ; 33 members elected for two-year terms (expansion to 52 in progress) |
| Committees | Maritime Safety (MSC), Marine Environment Protection (MEPC), Legal, Technical Co-operation, Facilitation |
| Sub-committees | Seven, feeding MSC and MEPC (human element and training, navigation, pollution prevention, ship design and construction, cargoes and others) |
| Secretariat | Staff in London under the Secretary-General |
IMO instruments
| Instrument | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Convention | Treaty binding on states that ratify it | SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, Load Lines |
| Code | Detailed rules, mandatory when a convention says so | ISM Code (SOLAS IX), ISPS Code, FSS Code |
| Protocol | Treaty that modifies a convention | 1988 SOLAS and Load Line Protocols (HSSC) |
| Amendment | Change adopted by a committee, usually by tacit acceptance | MEPC amendments to MARPOL Annex VI |
| Resolution | The vehicle for amendments, guidelines and recommendations | MSC.206(81), MEPC.251(66) |
IMO has no inspectors. A convention bites only when a state writes it into its own law and enforces it as flag state on its own ships and as port state on visitors.
The ILO and the MLC
The International Labour Organization is tripartite: governments, shipowners and seafarers all vote. Its maritime instrument is the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, adopted 23 February 2006 and in force since 20 August 2013. It consolidated dozens of older labour conventions into one: minimum age, employment agreements, hours of rest, accommodation, food, medical care and complaints. Lesson 4.1 covers what it means in your engine room.
The Administration: the MCA
For a UK yacht the Administration is the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Law is made by Acts and Statutory Instruments; the MCA publishes M-notices to fill in detail and explain.
| Notice | Weight |
|---|---|
| MSN (Merchant Shipping Notice) | Technical detail that the regulations make mandatory, e.g. MSN 1904 for SV engineer CoCs |
| MGN (Marine Guidance Note) | How the MCA expects the law to be met; departing from it needs a justified equivalent |
| MIN (Marine Information Note) | Time-limited information with an expiry date, e.g. MIN 642 |
Suffixes show who a notice is for: (M) merchant, (F) fishing, (M+F) both.
Flag, port and class
- Flag State Control: the flag certifies the yacht, surveys it (directly or through a Recognised Organisation) and investigates accidents.
- Port State Control: a coastal state inspects foreign ships in its ports (lesson 2.4).
- Classification societies: private bodies that set and survey to their own rules, often delegated statutory work (lesson 2.3).
- MAIB: investigates UK accidents to prevent recurrence, not to blame (lesson 4.3).
For large commercial yachts the Red Ensign Group applies the international conventions through the REG Yacht Code, whose Part A covers yachts of 24 m load line length and over in commercial use carrying no more than 12 passengers.
TIP — Read the notice number A notice with an amendment number and a date tells you whether you have the current text. Always check gov.uk for the latest amendment before relying on an old copy on board.