8 MANNING, TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND

8 MANNING, TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND ORGANISATION OF WORKING TIME

This chapter applies to all fishing vessels (pre-2004 and post-2004).

8.1General .1This chapter provides information on manning, safety training and qualifications relating to the

operation of small commercial fishing vessels. .2Furthermore, this chapter sets out requirements in relation to musters and drills, regarding

emergency procedures on vessels, as well as the regulation of work/rest time.

8.2Safety Training .1All persons on board must comply with the Fishing Vessel (Basic Safety Training) Regulations 2001

(S.I. No. 587 of 2001). It is also required that safety skills and knowledge be updated on a regular basis, and such enhanced safety training as set out in Marine Notice No. 16 of 2014 – “Enhanced Safety Training for Skippers and Crews of Fishing Vessels Less than 15m Length overall”, every 5 years. .2The master or any other appropriate person on-board tasked with maintaining or using the

medical supplies as set out in section 6.7 above, must attend an approved medical training course relating to the category of vessel concerned at least once every five years.

.3Single-person operation should be restricted to 30 nautical miles from a safe haven.

8.3Standards of Competence .1The owner/operator of a fishing vessel should ensure that all fishers are sufficiently competent to

keep a vessel safe at all times. .2Certain skills are required to carry out particular jobs, and fishers need to be competent in:

a.operating and maintaining the engine, including ancillary machinery and systems; b.responding to requests for help in emergencies, and using radios to seek help; c.navigating or piloting a vessel; d.manoeuvring a vessel; e.all crew able to communicate in the English language; and f.workplace safety.

.3The level of competence required depends on the area of operation. The further away from a

safe haven, or home base, the fishers operate, the more competent across a wider range of skills they will need to be.

8.4Operation and Maintenance of Propulsion Machinery .1The master, or other appropriate person on-board, must be competent to operate and maintain

the vessel’s main propulsion machinery and ancillary equipment.

8.5Operation of Radio Equipment .1 Every vessel must carry at least one person suitably qualified, in accordance with section 9.2.10

(Radio Personnel) below, to operate the radio equipment carried on-board.

8.6Responsibility of the Owner for Safe Manning of Vessel .1It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that the master has, in addition to the certification and

competence requirements already detailed in sections 8.2 to 8.5, recent and relevant experience of the type and size of vessel, the machinery on-board, and the type of operation undertaken. The owner must also ensure that there are sufficient qualified crew on-board, having regard to the type and duration of the voyage undertaken.

8.7Safe Navigational Watch .1It is the master’s responsibility to ensure that there is, at all times, an alert person with adequate

experience in charge of the navigational watch. In making this decision the master should take account of all the factors affecting the safety of the vessel, including:

a.the present and forecast state of the weather, sea state and visibility; b.the proximity of navigational hazards; and c.the density of traffic in the area.

8.8Musters and Drills for Emergency Procedures .1The master and crew shall comply with the Merchant Shipping (Musters) (Fishing Vessels)

Regulations, 1993 (S.I. No. 48 of 1993). .2The master of a fishing vessel of 12 metres or more in length shall ensure that the crew are

instructed, trained and drilled in the use of the life-saving and fire-fighting equipment on the vessel, and that each member of the crew is aware of the location on the vessel of such equipment.

.3This aforesaid instruction and training shall be given before the vessel commences a voyage with

a new crew, or new member of the crew, and thereafter at monthly intervals.

.4Life-saving and fire-fighting equipment on a fishing vessel of 12 metres or more in length shall be

inspected by the master at intervals of not more than one month.

.5Where necessary, the master of a fishing vessel shall arrange for maintenance or repairs to the

life-saving and fire-fighting equipment that is on-board, to be carried out as soon as may be required after an inspection.

.6Vessels of less than 12 metres in length are recommended to follow the above requirements.

.7Further information on the requirements concerning muster lists and drills in the use of life-saving

appliances and fire-fighting appliances can be found in Marine Notice No. 40 of 2018 – “Drills and Musters on all Fishing Vessels/Man Overboard Recovery Systems on Fishing Vessels”.

.8In addition, the necessity to develop contingency plans and procedures, to conduct emergency

exercise drills, including preparing for a grounding event or collision incident and unexpected loss of propulsion or electrical power, is highlighted in Marine Notice No. 41 of 2020.

8.9Organisation of Working Time .1The master and owner shall comply, if applicable, with:

a)The European Union (International Labour Organisation Work in Fishing Convention)

(Working Hours) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 672 of 2019) – applicable to registered fishing vessels with one or more crew onboard employed under contract. b)The European Union (Workers on Board Seagoing Fishing Vessels) (Organisation of Working

Time) (Share Fishermen) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 585 of 2020) – applicable to all Irish fishing vessels with where crew is made up entirely of share fishers. .2 For vessels falling outside the above-mentioned legislation, the requirements of the regulations

are recommended to be complied with. .3The aforementioned regulations prescribe the maximum hours of work and minimum hours of

rest for workers on board sea-going fishing vessels, as well as the requirement for records to be kept of their hours of work or rest.