**Executive Summary**
MSN No. 01 of 2022, issued by the Directorate General of Shipping on January 28, 2022, establishes minimum safe manning requirements for Category 'A' High Speed Craft (HSC) operating in the Port Blair region. The document outlines the required personnel, their qualifications, and the conditions under which the revised manning scale applies. This document intends to ensure safe operation in consideration of HSC design differences from standard passenger vessels.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Manning Requirements:**
* Master (FG) or Master (NCV) (with type rating certificate): 01
* Second Mate (FG) or NWKO (NCV) (with type rating certificate): 01
* GMDSS Operator: 01 (one officer must have an Indian GMDSS CoC or a Dedicated Radio officer holding Indian CoC)
* Rating forming part of Navigational Watch: 03
* Rating: 01
* **Operating Conditions:**
* Vessels must operate only during daylight hours.
* Voyages must be of short duration (not more than 2 hours).
* Craft must operate exclusively between ports in the Port Blair region as specified in the ‘Permit to Operate - High Speed Craft’ Certificate [Port Blair – Swaraj Dweep (Havelock) – Shaheed Dweep (Neil) and Baratang].
* During passage, the bridge should always be manned and maneuvered by the Master. All engine parameters & alarms must be continuously monitored during sailing.
* All navigating officers must possess a type rating certificate for the vessel and the specified route.
* The owner/operator and the master of the vessel must ensure compliance with navigational safety, operational safety, and rest period requirements for watchkeepers, as prescribed under Chapter-VIII of STCW 1978 as amended (STCW 2010 Convention) and chapter VIII of M.S. (STCW) Rule 2014.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder:** HSC Owners/Operators
* **Impact:** The document establishes specific manning requirements and operating conditions for HSCs in the Port Blair region.
* **Action Required:** Ensure vessels are manned according to the specified requirements and operate under the defined conditions.
**Stakeholder:** Masters of HSC Vessels
* **Impact:** The document defines responsibilities related to bridge manning and continuous monitoring of engine parameters.
* **Action Required:** Ensure bridge is always manned during passage, engine parameters are continuously monitored, and all STCW regulations are complied with.
**Stakeholder:** Navigating Officers
* **Impact:** The document specifies the need to possess type rating certificates for the vessel and specified route.
* **Action Required:** Ensure they have valid type rating certificates.
**Stakeholder:** Directorate General of Shipping (DGS)
* **Impact:** The DGS is responsible for enforcing the new manning requirements and operating conditions.
* **Action Required:** Ensure compliance with the new guidelines through inspections and audits.
Key Entities Referenced
High Speed Craft (HSC): Category ‘A’ vessels subject to the minimum safe manning requirements outlined in the document.
Port Blair region: Geographical area where the revised manning scale applies for High Speed Craft voyages.
Directorate General of Shipping: The issuing authority of the circular regarding safe manning requirements.
Safe Manning Document (SMD): Document issued to special trade passenger ships on voyages in coasting trade of India.
Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 as amended (STCW 2010 Convention): International convention that mandates standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers.
Trog
ffi
sil-grd}*r
q-fd -
tra6R / GovERNmENT OF rNDrA orTdq-6fflq
qm, ,ira cR-d6q,3?It wf,{rrf {rrdq
UINISTRYOF PORTS, SHIPPING AT{D WATERYVAYS
frdrr rerfrtqncq, :iq{
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF SHIPPING, MUMBAI
MSN No. 0l of 2022
No.25-1050 I 22-NT- Dated:28.01.2022
Subiect: Minimum safe mannins in nautical discipline on Catesorv 'A' Hish Speed
C
raft ooeratins at Port Blair n -reE.
The minimum safe manning requirements of nautical discipline for category 'A',
High speed craft (HSC) has not been specified in the various circular/MSN issued by the
Directorate. In view of the same, these vessels are issued Safe Manning Document (SMD) as
per requirement of special trade passenger ships on voyages in coasting trade oflndia (within
NCV areas and not more than 20 NM from nearest land).
2.
Considering the design ofHSC vessel is different from special trade passenger vessels
and to facilitate operation of such vessels, it has been decided that the manning in the nautical
discipline on category'A" HSC vessel operating in the Port Blair region on voyages less than
02 hours shall be manned as follows:
I Master (FG) or Master (NCV) (with type rating certificate) 01
2 Second Mate (FG) or NWKO (NCV) (with type rating certificate) 01
J GMDSS Operator 01*
4. Rating forming part of Navigational Watch UJ
5 Rating 01
* One officer to have Indian GMDSS CoC or a Dedicated Radio officer holding Indian CoC'
3.
Condition while operating at revised manning scale:
a) The vessel should operate only during day light hours.
b) The voyages should be ofshort duration (not more than 2 hours).
c) That Craft will be exclusively operating between ports in the Port Blair region as
specified in the'Permit to Operate - High Speed Craft' Certificate [i.e. Port Blair -
Swaraj Dweep (Havelock) - Shaheed Dweep (Neil) and Baratang].
1M
n
I
efi {Fd, fta RfHr, qri Ri6 }d *ur{, 6tg(,fis fu, 6igttr,f (S) j+{- moo+z
gth Floor, BETA Building, l-Think Techno Campus, Kanjur Village Road, Kanjurmarg (E), Mumbai-400042
*iffd No.: +91-22-2 575 2c,,}l'll2r3 k/Fax.: +91-22-2575 &,f,3s t-tdiEmail: dgship{gs@nic.in tflIftz/w€bsite: wu .dgshipdng.govina
d) Being a'High Speed Craft', during the passage the bridge should always be manned
and manoevered by the Master of the vessel. All engine parameters & alarms arc to be
continuously monitored during sailing.
e) All navigating officers are to be in possession of type rating certificate for the vessel
and the specified route.
0 The owner/operator and the master of the vessel shall ensure that at all times, the
navigational safety, operational safety, rest period requirements for watch keepers as
prescribed under Chapter-VIII of Standards of Training, Certification and Watch
keeping of seafarers, 1 978 as amended (STCW 2010 Convention) and chapter VIII of
M.S. (STCW) Rule 2014 are complied with at all times.
4 This is issued with the approval of the Competent Authority.
M
IA
\
NitinM
Nautical Surveyor-cum-DDG (Tech)