16 Stowage of pilot ladders on winch reels
16.1 If a pilot ladder is to be stowed on a winch drum, the drum diameter shall be not less than 0.16 m and the drum shall be provided with sunken securing points.
17 Point of access
17.1 When a pilot ladder winch reel is provided it shall be situated at a position which will ensure pilots and other personnel embarking on, or disembarking from, the ship between the pilot ladder and the point of access to the ship, have safe, convenient and unobstructed access to or egress from the ship.
17.2 The point of access position and adjacent area shall be clear of obstructions, including the pilot ladder winch reel, for distances as follows:
.1 a distance of 915 mm in width measured longitudinally;
.2 a distance of 915 mm in depth, measured from the ship’s side plating inwards; and
.3 a distance of 2,200 mm in height, measured vertically from the access deck.
18 Physical positioning of pilot ladder winch reels
18.1 Pilot ladder winch reels which are fitted on a ship’s upper deck for the purpose of providing a pilot ladder which services a ship’s side opening below the upper deck or, alternatively, an accommodation ladder when a combination arrangement is provided shall:
.1 be situated at a location on the upper deck from which the pilot ladder is able to be suspended vertically, in a straight line, to a point adjacent to the ship’s side opening access point or the lower platform of the accommodation ladder;
.2 be situated at a location which provides a safe, convenient and unobstructed passage for any pilot or personnel embarking on, or disembarking from, the ship between the pilot ladder and the place of access on the ship; and
.3 enable compliance with the relevant requirements of part A and part B.
18.2 Pilot ladder winch reels fitted inside a ship’s side opening shall:
.1 be situated at a position which provides a safe, convenient and unobstructed passage for any pilot or personnel embarking on, or disembarking from, the ship between the pilot ladder and the place of access on the ship;
.2 be situated at a position which provides an unobstructed clear area with a minimum length of 915 mm and minimum width of 915 mm and minimum vertical height of 2,200 mm; and
.3 if situated at a position which necessitates a section of the pilot ladder to be partially
secured in a horizontal position on the deck so as to provide a clear access as described above, then allowance shall be made so that this section of the pilot ladder may be covered with a rigid platform for a minimum distance of 915 mm measured horizontally from the ship’s side inwards.
19 Handrails and handgrips
Handrails and handgrips shall be provided in accordance with section 8 to assist the pilot and other personnel to safely transfer between the pilot ladder and the ship, except as noted in paragraph 7.4 for arrangements with platforms extending outboard. The horizontal distance between the handrails and/or the handgrips shall be not less than 0.7 m or more than 0.8 m apart.
20 Securing of the pilot ladder
Where the pilot ladder is stowed on a pilot ladder winch reel which is located either within the ship’s side opening or on the upper deck:
.1 the pilot ladder winch reel shall not be relied upon to support the pilot ladder when the pilot ladder is in use;
.2 the pilot ladder shall be secured to strong points, independent of the pilot ladder winch reel; and
.3 the pilot ladder shall be secured at deck level inside the ship’s side opening or, when located on the ship’s upper deck, at a distance of not less than 915 mm measured horizontally from the ship’s side inwards.
21 Mechanical securing of pilot ladder winch reel
21.1 All pilot ladder winch reels shall have means of preventing the winch reel from being accidentally operated as a result of mechanical failure or human error.
21.2 Pilot ladder winch reels may be manually operated or, alternatively, powered by either electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic means.
21.3 Manually operated pilot ladder winch reels shall be provided with a brake or other suitable arrangements to control the lowering of the pilot ladder and to lock the winch reel in position once the pilot ladder is lowered into position.
21.4 Electrical, hydraulic or pneumatically driven pilot ladder winch reels shall be fitted with safety devices which are capable of cutting off the power supply to the winch reel and thus locking the winch reel in position.
21.5 Powered winch reels shall have clearly marked control levers or handles which may be locked in a neutral position.
21.6 A mechanical device or locking pin shall also be utilized to lock powered winch reels.