Safety and environmental standards on passenger ships
Passenger ships must comply with all relevant IMO standards, including safety regulations and requirements for the prevention of pollution from ships.
The Titanic disaster of 1912 led to the first SOLAS treaty being adopted and there have been many revisions to regulations since then, both in response to major incidents and as a result of a pro-active approach to keeping the regulations up-to-date.
The SOLAS treaty applies to passenger ships carrying more than 12 passengers on international voyages. But IMO has also been working with countries to address the safety of so-called non-SOLAS ships, including developing model legislation and guidance.
Enhancing passenger ships' environmental performance
Cruise ships today can carry more than 5,000 passengers and crew. All passenger ships must comply with IMO MARPOL regulations for the prevention of pollution from ships.
For cruise ships, the correct disposal of garbage (MARPOL Annex V) and treatment of sewage (MARPOL Annex IV) is vitally important.
Passenger ships must also comply with all relevant energy efficiency and air pollution requirements (MARPOL Annex VI). Since 1 January 2020, the sulphur content in the fuel oil used on board ships operating outside designated emission control areas has been limited at 0.50% - a significant reduction from the previous limit of 3.5%. This has helped to protect the health of people in ports and coastal areas - and passengers and crew on ships.
Training for seafarers and other personnel onboard passenger ships
Seafarers and other personnel on board passenger ships have a role to play in ensuring passenger safety. IMO regulations in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) and its related STCW Code require seafarers and other personnel working on passenger ships to have specific safety and emergency training.
Persons with designated responsibility for the safety of passengers in emergency situations must complete approved training in crisis management and human behaviour.
Crew responsible for embarking and disembarking passengers, for loading, discharging or securing cargo, or for closing hull openings on board ro-ro passenger ships, must complete approved training in passenger safety, cargo safety and hull integrity.
Safe return to port - the 2006 SOLAS amendments
In 2010, a package of SOLAS amendments adopted in 2006 entered into force, affecting passenger ships built after 1 July 2010. The amendments were the result of a comprehensive review of passenger ship safety initiated in 2000 with the aim of assessing whether the current regulations were adequate, in particular for the large passenger ships being built. Increased emphasis is placed on reducing the chances of accidents occurring and on improved survivability, embracing the concept of the ship "as its own best lifeboat" and a philosophy of "safe return to port".
Click here for article on the passenger ship safety initiative.
Passenger submersibles
IMO has developed and issued guidelines on the design, construction and operation of passenger submersible craft (see MSC.1/Circ.981) which provide internationally agreed safety standards for their design and operation. They apply to submersible craft adapted to accommodate passengers and are intended for underwater excursions with the pressure in the passenger compartment at or near one atmosphere.
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is the main IMO instrument that specifies minimum standards for the safe construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships operating internationally. No mandatory regulations exist within SOLAS specifically relating to passenger submersibles since they do not fall under the current application provisions of the Convention.
However, certain SOLAS requirements apply to all vessels whilst at sea. Chapter IV on Radiocommunications requires all ships to, for instance, carry equipment enabling them to transmit and receive ship-to-ship distress alerts and communications coordinating a search and rescue operation.
Chapter V, which covers Safety of Navigation, includes a requirement for all ships to be fitted with an automatic identification system (AIS), enabling long-range tracking of a ship’s identity and position at a given date and time. It is the responsibility of flag States to determine to what extent safety of navigation regulations apply to small vessels and crafts.
In June 2023, five people died on board the deep-sea submersible Titan whilst en route to the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic. IMO may be requested to take further action concerning the regulation of submersible passenger craft in the future, once the involved Member States have concluded their investigations.
Read more here about IMO’s work around casualty incidents. Information is available here on the process of survey, verification and certification of ships.
Response to Costa Concordia incident
IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) responded quickly to the Costa Concordia incident of January 2012, agreeing interim recommended operational measures for passenger ships at its meeting in May 2012. In June 2013, the MSC adopted amendments to SOLAS regulation III/19 to require musters of newly embarked passengers prior to or immediately upon departure, instead of “within 24 hours”. The amendments entered into force on 1 January 2015.
Download Recommended interim measures for passenger ship companies to enhance the safety of passenger ships.
In 2017, the MSC (MSC 98) adopted a set of amendments to SOLAS chapter II-1 relating to subdivision and damage stability. They entered into force on 1 January 2020. The amendments were developed following a substantive review of SOLAS chapter II-1, focusing in particular on new passenger ships. The review took into account recommendations arising from the investigation into the 2012 Costa Concordia incident. In conjunction with the adoption of the aforementioned amendments, MSC adopted the Revised Explanatory Notes to SOLAS chapter II-1 subdivision and damage stability regulations. The MSC also approved the Revised guidance for watertight doors on passenger ships which may be opened during navigation.
Domestic ferry safety
Domestic ferry operations play a crucial role in the movement of people and goods in the region and sometimes represent the only possible or reasonably affordable means of transport. While the regulations for passenger ship safety in IMO's International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) do not generally apply to passenger ships on domestic voyages, many countries base their regulations on the IMO standards.
In April 2022 IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) adopted recommendatory Model Regulations on Domestic Ferry Safety. They provide framework provisions on domestic ferry safety for incorporation into national law on a range of issues, including: certification; manning; safety management; navigation and communications equipment and life-saving appliances. They can be adapted by countries, as necessary, to suit their respective national conditions and requirements.
Watch this short animation on the importance of safety standards on domestic passenger ferries and the development of model regulations made as a collaboration between IMO and the Royal Thai Government.
Safety of passenger ferries in the Asia and Pacific region
IMO, in collaboration with partners including the international ferry industry association, Interferry, has been working with countries and partners in the Asia-Pacific region for a number of years to address the safety of domestic ferries, through regional fora and workshops. A set of guidelines (Manila Statement) on the safe operation of coastal and inter-island passenger ships not engaged on international voyages was adopted in 2015, by an international Conference, held in the Philippines and organized by IMO in collaboration with the Government of the Philippines, International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), Interferry, and the World Maritime University.
IMO commissioned a one-minute animated safety briefing video for ferry passengers, to be shown in ferry terminals and on national TV channels following a series of IMO-sponsored regional discussion forums on ferry safety held in the Asia and Pacific region. Overloading and overcrowding were highlighted as common and potentially deadly problems for passenger ships plying inland waterways or on domestic and inter-island services. Watch the video below.