This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
Jurisdiction
Commonwealth
Act Number
100 of 1935
Collection
legislative instrument
Plain English Summary
8/10 complexity
Sets mandatory life‑saving equipment and procedures for ships using Australian ports: it defines ship classes and prescribes required lifeboats, life‑rafts, buoyant apparatus, lifebuoys, life‑jackets, line‑throwing gear, davits, stowage, marking, muster signals and certificated lifeboatmen. Applies to Australian‑registered or coasting ships and to foreign ships taking on passengers in Australian ports; excludes ships trading wholly within a single State (reg 6).
It fixes technical specifications, testing and survey rules and vests inspection and limited exemption powers in the Director/Deputy Director and Minister, so owners and masters carry the compliance costs and operational duties.
Zoe can write the in-depth analysis on top of the summary above: how it works, who it affects and what each part actually does.
Current sections
Direct links to the current provisions in Navigation (Life-saving Appliances) Regulations.
6
Div 1
General Requirements as to Lifeboats and Buoyant Apparatus.
Division 1.—General Requirements as to Lifeboats and Buoyant Apparatus.
Lifeboats and buoyant apparatus to be adequate and readily available.
8.—(1.) The lifeboats and buoyant apparatus in a ship shall be readily available in case of emergency and shall be adequate.
(2.) To ensure that they are readily available, the lifeboats and buoyant apparatus shall comply with the following conditions:—
(a) They must be capable of being put into the water safely and rapidly even under unfavorable conditions of list and trim;
(b) It must be possible to embark the passengers in the boats rapidly and in good order; and
(c) The arrangement of each boat and article of buoyant apparatus must be such that it will not interfere with the operation of other boats and buoyant apparatus.
(3.) To ensure that they are adequate, the provision of lifeboats and buoyant apparatus shall be in accordance with the requirements of such of these Regulations as are applicable.
Div 2
Sea-going Passenger Steamships carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Division 2.—Sea-going Passenger Steamships carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Determination of number of persons that a ship is certified to carry.
Where there is in force, in respect of any ship to which regulations 10 to 14 (inclusive) of these Regulations apply, a memorandum under section 216a of the Navigation Act (which relates to the modification of safety certificates in respect of life-saving appliances), the number of persons stated in the memorandum shall, for the purposes of these Regulations, be treated as the number of persons which the ship is certified to carry.
Davits, lifeboats and buoyant apparatus.
10.—(1.) Every ship of Class I. shall be provided, in accordance with its length, with the number of sets of davits specified in column A of the Table in Schedule I.:
Provided that no ship shall be required to have a number of sets of davits greater than the number of lifeboats required to accommodate the total number of persons which the ship carries or is certified to carry, whichever number is the greater.
(2.) A lifeboat of Class 1 shall be attached to each set of davits.
(3.) Where the lifeboats attached to the davits do not furnish sufficient accommodation for the total number of persons which the ship carries or is certified to carry, whichever number is the greater, provision shall be made to the satisfaction of the Deputy Director to carry such additional lifeboats as are required to make up the deficiency in the accommodation.
(4.) Any additional lifeboats necessary to make up the total lifeboat accommodation required by sub-regulation (3.) of this regulation shall be lifeboats of either Class 1 or Class 2.
(5.) Subject to the provisions of regulation 61, the additional lifeboats shall be distributed as follows:—
(i) One additional lifeboat, up to the number required, shall be stowed under each set of davits;
(ii) The remaining boats (if any) shall be carried inboard.
(6.) Notwithstanding the requirements of sub-regulation (3.) of this regulation, the Deputy Director may, if he is of the opinion that life-rafts will be more readily available and otherwise more satisfactory in a case of emergency than the additional lifeboats mentioned in paragraph (ii) of sub-regulation (5.) of this regulation, allow life-rafts to be carried, in lieu of any such lifeboats, with sufficient accommodation for those persons for whom accommodation is not provided in lifeboats:
Provided that this sub-regulation shall not apply in any case unless the total capacity of the lifeboats under davits and stowed under boats attached to davits is at least equal to the minimum cubic capacity specified in column C of the Table in Schedule I.
(7.) Where the number of lifeboats carried in pursuance of this regulation is more than 13, one of such lifeboats shall be a motor boat fitted with an approved wireless telegraphy installation and searchlight, and where the number is more than 19 two of such lifeboats shall be motor boats so fitted.
(8.) Any of the other lifeboats, except such as the Director requires to be carried as emergency boats, may be motor boats, but it shall not be compulsory for these additional motor boats to be fitted with wireless telegraphy installations or searchlights.
Buoyant apparatus—Class I. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall, in addition to the lifeboats and life-rafts carried in pursuance of regulation 10 of these Regulations, carry approved buoyant apparatus sufficient to support 25 per cent. of the total number of persons which the ship carries or is certified to carry, whichever number is the greater.
Lifebuoys—Class I. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall carry at least the number of lifebuoys determined in accordance with the following Table:—
Length of Ship.
Minimum Number of Lifebuoys.
Under 200 feet........................
8
200 feet and under 400 feet................
12
400 feet and under 600 feet................
18
600 feet and under 800 feet................
24
800 feet and over.......................
30
Life-jackets—Class 1. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall carry one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class I. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall carry an approved Class 1 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as provided by regulation 68 of these Regulations.
Special provisions as regards ships engaged in short excursion voyages, &c.
Notwithstanding anything contained in regulations 10 to 14 (inclusive) of these Regulations, a ship of Class 1, while engaged in carrying passengers—
(a) on short voyages near the coast approved by the Deputy Director;
(b) on daylight excursions during periods specified by the Deputy Director and approved by him,
shall not be required to carry—
(i) more sets of davits than are specified in Table A of Schedule II.; or
(ii) lifeboats of a greater aggregate cubic capacity than is specified in Table B of Schedule II.,
for a ship of her length.
Div 3
Sea-going Steamships not carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Division 3.—Sea-going Steamships not carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Lifeboats—Class II. Ships.
16.—(1.) Every ship of Class II. shall, subject to the next succeeding sub-regulation, carry on each side of the ship lifeboats of Class 1 in such number and of such aggregate capacity as will accommodate all persons on board.
(2.) Where not less than half the total capacity on each side of the ship is provided in lifeboats of Class 1, the Deputy Director may allow the following boats to be carried:—
(a) If the number of lifeboats of Class 1 required to be carried under this regulation is three—a boat of Class 3 instead of one of them;
(b) If the number of lifeboats of Class 1 exceeds three—one or two boats of Class 3 instead of the same number of such lifeboats; and
(c) Any number of boats of Class 3 instead of the same number of lifeboats of Class 1 in the case of ships engaged in special trades where the circumstances are such as to justify this replacement.
Davits—Class II. Ships.
In steamships of Class II., the lifeboats, and boats of Class 3 carried in place of lifeboats, shall be attached to davits.
Life-buoys and jackets—Class II. Ships.
18.—(1.) A steamship of Class II. shall carry approved life-buoys as follows:—
(a) If under 100 feet in length, at least two life-buoys;
(b) If 100 feet or over in length, but under 200 feet, at least four life-buoys; and
(c) If 200 feet or over in length, at least six life-buoys.
(2.) In all cases a steamship of Class II. shall carry one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class II. Ships.
A steamship of Class II. of 150 tons gross tonnage and upwards shall carry an approved Class 2 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as required by regulation 70 of these Regulations.
Div 4
Sea-going Sailing Ships carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Division 4.—Sea-going Sailing Ships carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Lifeboats—Class III. Ships.
Every ship of Class III. shall carry such number of lifeboats and of such aggregate capacity as will accommodate all persons on board.
Davits—Class III. Ships.
In ships of Class III., the lifeboats shall be attached to davits so far as, in the opinion of the surveyor, is practicable.
Life-buoys and jackets—Class III. Ships.
At least six approved life-buoys shall be carried on every ship of Class III., together with one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class III. Ships.
Every ship of Class III. shall carry an approved Class 1 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as provided by regulation 69 of these Regulations.
Div 5
Sea-going Sailing Ships not carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Division 5.—Sea-going Sailing Ships not carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Lifeboats—Class IV. Ships.
24.—(1.) Every ship of Class IV. shall carry a lifeboat or lifeboats of Class 1 of such capacity as will accommodate all persons on board.
(2.) If only one lifeboat is required under this regulation, a boat of Class 3 shall be carried in addition, and if the number of lifeboats required under this regulation exceeds two, a boat of Class 3 may be carried in place of one of such lifeboats.
Davits—Class IV. Ships.
In every ship of Class IV., two boats at least shall be attached to davits, one boat being on each side of the ship.
Life-buoys and life-jackets—Class IV. Ships.
26.—(1.) A ship of Class IV. shall carry approved life-buoys as follows:—
(a) If under 100 feet in length, at least two life-buoys; and
(b) If 100 feet or over in length, at least four life-buoys.
(2.) In all cases a ship of Class IV. shall carry one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class IV. Ships.
A ship of Class IV. of 150 tons gross tonnage and upwards shall carry an approved Class 2 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as required by regulation 70 of these Regulations.
More sections below
Source text: opening excerpt
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
1 Navigation (Life-saving Appliances) Regulations
STATUTORY RULES.
1935. No. 100.
REGULATIONS UNDER THE NAVIGATION ACT 1912-1935.*
I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Navigation Act 1912-1935.
Dated this sixteenth day of October, 1935.
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
for the Minister of State for Commerce.
________
NAVIGATION (LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES)
REGULATIONS.
Part I.—Preliminary.
Short title.
These Regulations may be cited as the Navigation (Life-saving Appliances) Regulations.
Parts.
These Regulations are divided into Parts, as follows:—
Part I.—Preliminary.
Part II.—Classification of Ships.
Part III.—Equipment of Ships with Life-saving Appliances.
Division 1.—General Requirements as to Lifeboats and Buoyant Apparatus.
Division 2.—Sea-going passenger steamships carrying more than twelve passengers.
Division 3.—Sea-going steamships not carrying more than twelve passengers.
Division 4.—Sea-going sailing ships carrying more than twelve passengers.
Division 5.—Sea-going sailing ships not carrying more than twelve passengers.
Division 6.—River and bay ships carrying more than twelve passengers.
Division 7.—River and bay ships not carrying more than twelve passengers.
* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on , 1935.
567—12/11.9.1935—Price 1s. 3d.
Part IV.—General.
Division 1.—Boats, Life-rafts, Buoyant Apparatus, and other Life-saving Appliances.
Division 2.—Line-throwing Apparatus.
Division 3.—Embarkation in the Boats and Life-rafts.
Division 4.—Means of Ingress and Egress and Emergency Lighting.
Division 5.—Certificated Lifeboatmen
Part V.—Miscellaneous.
Commencement.
These Regulations shall commence on the thirty-first day of October, 1935.
Repeal.
Parts I. to VI. (inclusive) of the Navigation (Life-saving and Fire Appliances) Regulations (being Statutory Rules 1925, No. 50, as amended by Statutory Rules 1925, No. 86; 1930, No. 18; 1931, No. 95; and by 1934, No. 153) are repealed.
In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—
“approved” means approved by the Director;
“boat” means a lifeboat;
“cargo ship” means a ship other than a passenger ship;
“certified to carry passengers,” in relation to a ship, means certified under the Navigation (Survey and Equipment) Regulations to carry more than twelve passengers;
“daylight” shall be reckoned as extending from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset;
“length,” in relation to a ship, means registered length;
“passenger ship”, “passenger steamship”, and “passenger sailing ship”, mean respectively a ship, steamship or sailing ship which is certified to carry more than twelve passengers, and includes a ship, steamship or sailing ship, as the case may be, which, although not being so certified, actually carries more than twelve passengers;
“person” means a person over the age of one year;
‘Schedule” means a Schedule to these Regulations;
“surveyor” means a person appointed under the Navigation Act to survey ships and their equipment;
“the Navigation Act” means the Navigation Act 1912-1935, and includes that Act as amended from time to time.
Application of Regulations.
These Regulations shall apply to all ships registered in Australia or licensed to engage in the coasting trade, and to ships not registered in Australia which take on board passengers in Australian ports, but shall not apply to ships trading exclusively within the limits of a single State.
Part II.—Classification of Ships.
Classification of ships.
For the purposes of these Regulations, ships to which these Regulations apply are divided into the following classes:—
Class I.—Sea-going passenger steamships carrying more than twelve passengers;
Class II.—Sea-going steamships not carrying more than twelve passengers;
Class III.—Sea-going sailing ships carrying more than twelve passengers;
Class IV.—Sea-going sailing ships not carrying more than twelve passengers;
Class V.—River and bay ships carrying more than twelve passengers;
Class VI.—River and bay ships not carrying more than twelve passengers.
Part III.—Equipment of Ships with Life-saving Appliances.
Division 1.—General Requirements as to Lifeboats and Buoyant Apparatus.
Lifeboats and buoyant apparatus to be adequate and readily available.
8.—(1.) The lifeboats and buoyant apparatus in a ship shall be readily available in case of emergency and shall be adequate.
(2.) To ensure that they are readily available, the lifeboats and buoyant apparatus shall comply with the following conditions:—
(a) They must be capable of being put into the water safely and rapidly even under unfavorable conditions of list and trim;
(b) It must be possible to embark the passengers in the boats rapidly and in good order; and
(c) The arrangement of each boat and article of buoyant apparatus must be such that it will not interfere with the operation of other boats and buoyant apparatus.
(3.) To ensure that they are adequate, the provision of lifeboats and buoyant apparatus shall be in accordance with the requirements of such of these Regulations as are applicable.
Division 2.—Sea-going Passenger Steamships carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Determination of number of persons that a ship is certified to carry.
Where there is in force, in respect of any ship to which regulations 10 to 14 (inclusive) of these Regulations apply, a memorandum under section 216a of the Navigation Act (which relates to the modification of safety certificates in respect of life-saving appliances), the number of persons stated in the memorandum shall, for the purposes of these Regulations, be treated as the number of persons which the ship is certified to carry.
Davits, lifeboats and buoyant apparatus.
10.—(1.) Every ship of Class I. shall be provided, in accordance with its length, with the number of sets of davits specified in column A of the Table in Schedule I.:
Provided that no ship shall be required to have a number of sets of davits greater than the number of lifeboats required to accommodate the total number of persons which the ship carries or is certified to carry, whichever number is the greater.
(2.) A lifeboat of Class 1 shall be attached to each set of davits.
(3.) Where the lifeboats attached to the davits do not furnish sufficient accommodation for the total number of persons which the ship carries or is certified to carry, whichever number is the greater, provision shall be made to the satisfaction of the Deputy Director to carry such additional lifeboats as are required to make up the deficiency in the accommodation.
(4.) Any additional lifeboats necessary to make up the total lifeboat accommodation required by sub-regulation (3.) of this regulation shall be lifeboats of either Class 1 or Class 2.
(5.) Subject to the provisions of regulation 61, the additional lifeboats shall be distributed as follows:—
(i) One additional lifeboat, up to the number required, shall be stowed under each set of davits;
(ii) The remaining boats (if any) shall be carried inboard.
(6.) Notwithstanding the requirements of sub-regulation (3.) of this regulation, the Deputy Director may, if he is of the opinion that life-rafts will be more readily available and otherwise more satisfactory in a case of emergency than the additional lifeboats mentioned in paragraph (ii) of sub-regulation (5.) of this regulation, allow life-rafts to be carried, in lieu of any such lifeboats, with sufficient accommodation for those persons for whom accommodation is not provided in lifeboats:
Provided that this sub-regulation shall not apply in any case unless the total capacity of the lifeboats under davits and stowed under boats attached to davits is at least equal to the minimum cubic capacity specified in column C of the Table in Schedule I.
(7.) Where the number of lifeboats carried in pursuance of this regulation is more than 13, one of such lifeboats shall be a motor boat fitted with an approved wireless telegraphy installation and searchlight, and where the number is more than 19 two of such lifeboats shall be motor boats so fitted.
(8.) Any of the other lifeboats, except such as the Director requires to be carried as emergency boats, may be motor boats, but it shall not be compulsory for these additional motor boats to be fitted with wireless telegraphy installations or searchlights.
Buoyant apparatus—Class I. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall, in addition to the lifeboats and life-rafts carried in pursuance of regulation 10 of these Regulations, carry approved buoyant apparatus sufficient to support 25 per cent. of the total number of persons which the ship carries or is certified to carry, whichever number is the greater.
Lifebuoys—Class I. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall carry at least the number of lifebuoys determined in accordance with the following Table:—
Length of Ship.
Minimum Number of Lifebuoys.
Under 200 feet........................
8
200 feet and under 400 feet................
12
400 feet and under 600 feet................
18
600 feet and under 800 feet................
24
800 feet and over.......................
30
Life-jackets—Class 1. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall carry one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class I. Ships.
Every ship of Class I. shall carry an approved Class 1 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as provided by regulation 68 of these Regulations.
Special provisions as regards ships engaged in short excursion voyages, &c.
Notwithstanding anything contained in regulations 10 to 14 (inclusive) of these Regulations, a ship of Class 1, while engaged in carrying passengers—
(a) on short voyages near the coast approved by the Deputy Director;
(b) on daylight excursions during periods specified by the Deputy Director and approved by him,
shall not be required to carry—
(i) more sets of davits than are specified in Table A of Schedule II.; or
(ii) lifeboats of a greater aggregate cubic capacity than is specified in Table B of Schedule II.,
for a ship of her length.
Division 3.—Sea-going Steamships not carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Lifeboats—Class II. Ships.
16.—(1.) Every ship of Class II. shall, subject to the next succeeding sub-regulation, carry on each side of the ship lifeboats of Class 1 in such number and of such aggregate capacity as will accommodate all persons on board.
(2.) Where not less than half the total capacity on each side of the ship is provided in lifeboats of Class 1, the Deputy Director may allow the following boats to be carried:—
(a) If the number of lifeboats of Class 1 required to be carried under this regulation is three—a boat of Class 3 instead of one of them;
(b) If the number of lifeboats of Class 1 exceeds three—one or two boats of Class 3 instead of the same number of such lifeboats; and
(c) Any number of boats of Class 3 instead of the same number of lifeboats of Class 1 in the case of ships engaged in special trades where the circumstances are such as to justify this replacement.
Davits—Class II. Ships.
In steamships of Class II., the lifeboats, and boats of Class 3 carried in place of lifeboats, shall be attached to davits.
Life-buoys and jackets—Class II. Ships.
18.—(1.) A steamship of Class II. shall carry approved life-buoys as follows:—
(a) If under 100 feet in length, at least two life-buoys;
(b) If 100 feet or over in length, but under 200 feet, at least four life-buoys; and
(c) If 200 feet or over in length, at least six life-buoys.
(2.) In all cases a steamship of Class II. shall carry one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class II. Ships.
A steamship of Class II. of 150 tons gross tonnage and upwards shall carry an approved Class 2 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as required by regulation 70 of these Regulations.
Division 4.—Sea-going Sailing Ships carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Lifeboats—Class III. Ships.
Every ship of Class III. shall carry such number of lifeboats and of such aggregate capacity as will accommodate all persons on board.
Davits—Class III. Ships.
In ships of Class III., the lifeboats shall be attached to davits so far as, in the opinion of the surveyor, is practicable.
Life-buoys and jackets—Class III. Ships.
At least six approved life-buoys shall be carried on every ship of Class III., together with one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class III. Ships.
Every ship of Class III. shall carry an approved Class 1 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as provided by regulation 69 of these Regulations.
Division 5.—Sea-going Sailing Ships not carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Lifeboats—Class IV. Ships.
24.—(1.) Every ship of Class IV. shall carry a lifeboat or lifeboats of Class 1 of such capacity as will accommodate all persons on board.
(2.) If only one lifeboat is required under this regulation, a boat of Class 3 shall be carried in addition, and if the number of lifeboats required under this regulation exceeds two, a boat of Class 3 may be carried in place of one of such lifeboats.
Davits—Class IV. Ships.
In every ship of Class IV., two boats at least shall be attached to davits, one boat being on each side of the ship.
Life-buoys and life-jackets—Class IV. Ships.
26.—(1.) A ship of Class IV. shall carry approved life-buoys as follows:—
(a) If under 100 feet in length, at least two life-buoys; and
(b) If 100 feet or over in length, at least four life-buoys.
(2.) In all cases a ship of Class IV. shall carry one approved life-jacket for each person on board.
Line-throwing apparatus—Class IV. Ships.
A ship of Class IV. of 150 tons gross tonnage and upwards shall carry an approved Class 2 type of line-throwing apparatus equipped as required by regulation 70 of these Regulations.
Division 6.—River and Bay Ships carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Boats, life-rafts and buoyant apparatus—Class V. Ships.
Every ship of Class V. plying in smooth water shall carry such boats, approved life-rafts, approved buoyant deck seats, or other approved buoyant apparatus, as are sufficient, together with the boat carried under the next succeeding regulation, where that regulation applies, for 40 per cent. of the total number of persons for which the ship is certified.
Position of boat—Class V. Ships.
Every ship of Class V., unless under 70 feet in length, shall carry a boat in such a position that it can be readily launched.
Life-buoys and jackets—Class V. Ships.
Every ship of Class V. shall carry at least four approved lifebuoys, and, for each person on board, one approved life-jacket.
Exemption of Class V. Ships.
The Director may, in special circumstances, exempt a ship of Class V., wholly or partly, from the requirements of these Regulations.
Division 6.—River and Bay Ships not carrying more than Twelve Passengers.
Lifeboats—Class vi. Ships.
Steamships of Class VI. plying in smooth water shall carry, equipped to the satisfaction of the Director, a boat or boats of sufficient capacity to accommodate at least all persons carried on board; and such ships shall have proper appliances for getting the boat or boats into the water.
Life-buoys and jackets—Class VI. Ships.
Every ship of Class VI. shall carry at least two approved lifebuoys, and for each perso
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