The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport draws attention to the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship) Rules 2020 which were made law by Statutory Instrument on 15 December.

This new legislation provides a national regulatory regime for passenger ships of less than 24 metres in length and constructed of steel or aluminium on or after 1 July 1998 and engaged on domestic voyages.

Exempted from these rules are high-speed passenger craft, to which the European Union (Passenger Ships) Regulations 2019 (SI No 676 of 2019) apply.

The rules maintain an appropriate safety regime for such passenger ships following changes that took effect in 2019 in associated European Union legislation. They include safety standards and requirements in relation to ship construction, fire protection, life-saving appliances and radio communications.

A full briefing on the new rules is included in Marine Notice No 02 of 2021, a PDF of which is available to download below.