The Department of State will conduct a public meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27, 2023, by way of teleconference. The primary purpose of the meeting is to prepare for the 10th session of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Subcommittee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE 10) to be held at the IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom from Monday, March 4 to Friday, March 8, 2024.
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, LT Jeff Bors, by e-mail at Jeffrey.S.Bors@uscg.mil.
To access the teleconference line, participants should call (410) 874–6742 and use Participant Code: 501 424 908#.
The agenda items to be considered at this meeting mirror those to be considered at SSE 10, and include:
- Adoption of the agenda
- Decisions of other IMO bodies
- New requirements for ventilation of survival craft
- Development of design and prototype test requirements for the arrangements used in the operational testing of free-fall lifeboat release systems without launching the lifeboat
- Revision of SOLAS chapter III and the LSA Code
- Amendments to SOLAS chapter III and chapter IV of the LSA Code to require the carriage of self-righting or canopied reversible life rafts for new ships
- Development of amendments to paragraph 8.3.5 and annex 1 of the 1994 and 2000 HSC Codes
- Revision of the 2010 FTP Code to allow for new fire protection systems and materials
- Revision of the provisions for helicopter facilities in SOLAS and the MODU Code
- Development of amendments to SOLAS chapter II-2 and the FSS Code concerning detection and control of fires in cargo holds and on the cargo deck of containerships
- Validated model training courses
- Unified interpretation of provisions of IMO safety, security and environment-related conventions
- Development of provisions to consider prohibiting the use of fire-fighting foams containing fluorinated substances, in addition to PFOS, for fire-fighting on board ships
- Comprehensive review of the Requirements for maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats and rescue boats, launching appliances and release gear (resolution MSC.402(96)) to address challenges with their implementation
- Amendments to the LSA Code for thermal performance of immersion suits
- Evaluation of adequacy of fire protection, detection and extinction arrangements in vehicle, special category and ro-ro spaces in order to reduce the fire risk of ships carrying new energy vehicles
- Biennial status report and provisional agenda for SSE 11
- Election of Chair and Vice-Chair for 2025
- Any other business
- Report to the Maritime Safety Committee
Please note: The Sub-Committee may, on short notice, adjust the SSE 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.