Applicability: All SOLAS-certified vessels
This is further to Class News 33/2014 and Class News 05/2016 regarding SOLAS regulation XI-1/7, which entered into force on 1 July 2016, requiring the carriage of an appropriate portable atmosphere testing instrument or instruments for enclosed space entry.
A request was made by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), seeking clarification regarding the following requirement: “suitable means shall be provided for the calibration of all such instruments”. Following this, the below unified interpretation of SOLAS regulation XI-1/7 was agreed at IMO meeting MSC 97:
“Provision of suitable means for the calibration of portable atmosphere testing instruments
Compliance with the provision ‘suitable means shall be provided for the calibration of all such instruments’ in SOLAS regulation XI-1/7, as adopted by resolution MSC.380(94), may be achieved by portable atmosphere testing instruments being calibrated on board or ashore in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
For the avoidance of any doubt, the above clarification refers to the calibration of portable atmosphere testing instruments, as required by SOLAS regulation XI-1/7, and not to any pre-operational accuracy tests as recommended by the manufacturer.”
The above unified interpretation of SOLAS regulation XI-1/7 will be published in due course as MSC.1/Circ.1562.
For further information
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