The Department of Transport has opened a public consultation as it prepares to publish a revision of its Code of Practice for Small Fishing Vessels.
This Code of Practice sets the standards of safety and protection for all persons on board small fishing vessels, of less than 15 metres length overall, which go to sea to fish for profit.
The text has been prepared to serve as the relevant Code of Practice for section 4(9)(c) of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2003 (No. 21 of 2003) (as inserted by section 97 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 (No. 8 of 2006)).
The Code of Practice deals with the vessel construction, its machinery, equipment and stability, and its correct operation, so that safety standards are maintained — and contains mandatory requirements in addition to recommendations.
It is anticipated that the new version will apply from 1 January 2022 and interested parties are now invited to provide comments on the latest revised version, which can be downloaded from Gov.ie.
Observations should be made to the Maritime Safety Policy Division at [email protected] by close of business on Monday 6 December.