Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2023
202. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Transport how many three-yearly inspections of ships have taken place under section 5(3) of SI 376/2014 since that Instrument came into force; how many non-compliances were detected; and to provide these inspections and detected non-compliances, by category, in a tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32409/23]
View answerThe requirement under Regulation 5(3) of SI 376/2014 applies to ships less than 500 GT which do not engage in international voyages or those that do not operate between ports in another state. Such vessels are not required to hold statutory Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) certification, although can voluntarily request to be certified in accordance with the Regulations. In the Irish context, the ships which fall within the scope of Regulation 5(3) includes domestic cargo and passenger sea-going ships and domestic sea-going passenger boats. In all such cases as these ships are less than 500 GT and not engaged in international voyages, the crew do not live on-board whilst the vessel is at sea. Therefore, the requirements under the MLC are limited or not applicable for such ships. The Marine Survey Office survey and inspection regime includes surveys of passenger ships on a one-year cycle and passenger boats on a two-year cycle. On this basis such ships are subject to inspection at a greater frequency than once every three years. The number of such inspections would include 80 passenger ships each year and approximately 400 other domestic vessels per annum and each survey or inspection may entail multiple visits. In addition, such ships may also be subject to additional operational inspections, usually during the summer season. The outcome of such inspections may result in a report of inspection issued to the Master and Owner of the vessel detailing deficiencies and the actions to be taken to rectify any identified issues. The use of the term detected non-compliances does not arise in this instance as the vessels in question are not required to be certified under the Convention. As such any issues which are identified during survey and inspections are required to be addressed.
