The Department of State will conduct a public meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, both in-person at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and via teleconference. The primary purpose of the meeting is to prepare for the 10th session of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Subcommittee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC 10) to be held at the IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom from Jan. 22 to Jan. 26, 2024. The Federal Register Notice is available at: Federal Register :: Notice of Public Meeting in Preparation for International Maritime Organization Tenth Session of the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC) Meeting.
Members of the public may participate in-person or up to the capacity of the teleconference phone line, which can handle 500 participants. To RSVP, participants should contact the meeting coordinator, LCDR Bryan Andrews, by e-mail at Bryan.J.Andrews@uscg.mil.
To access the teleconference line, participants should call (410) 874–6742 and use Participant Code: 446 971 62#.
The agenda items to be considered at this meeting mirror those to be considered at SDC 10, and include:
- Adoption of the agenda
- Decisions of other IMO bodies
- Development of Guidelines for emergency towing arrangements for ships other than tankers (2.20)
- Further development of the IP Code and associated guidance (2.4)
- Review of the 2014 Guidelines for the reduction of underwater noise from commercial shipping to address adverse impacts on marine life (MEPC.1/Circ.833) (2014 Guidelines) and identification of next steps (1.16)
- Amendments to the 2011 ESP Code (6.22)
- Safety objectives and functional requirements of the Guidelines on alternative design and arrangements for SOLAS chapter II-1 (2.5)
- Revision of SOLAS chapters II-1 (part C) and V, and related instruments regarding steering and propulsion requirements, to address both traditional and non-traditional propulsion and steering systems.
- Amendments to the Guidelines for construction, installation, maintenance and inspection/survey of means of embarkation and disembarkation (MSC.1/Circ.1331) concerning the rigging of safety netting on accommodation ladders and gangways.
- Unified interpretation of provisions of IMO safety, security, and environment-related conventions (7.1)
- Amendment to regulation 25 of the of the 1988 Load Line Protocol regarding the requirement for setting of guard rails on the deck structure.
- Guidelines for use of fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) within ship structures.
- Revision of the Interim explanatory notes for the assessment of passenger ship systems' capabilities after a fire or flooding casualty (MSC.1/Circ.1369) and related circulars (7.42)
- Biennial status report and provisional agenda for SDC 11
- Any other business
- Report to the Maritime Safety Committee
Please note: The Sub-Committee may, on short notice, adjust the SDC 10 agenda to accommodate the constraints associated with the virtual meeting format. Although no changes to the agenda are anticipated, if any are necessary, they will be provided to those who RSVP.
Additional information regarding this and other IMO public meetings may be found at: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/IMO.