Regulation 3
Exemptions and equivalents
Regulation
1 The Administration may grant general exemptions to ships without mechanical means of propulsion from the requirements of regulations 15, 17, 18, 19 (except 19.2.1.7), 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28.
2 The Administration may grant to individual ships exemptions or equivalents of a partial or conditional nature, when any such ship is engaged on a voyage where the maximum distance of the ship from the shore, the length and nature of the voyage, the absence of general navigational hazards, and other conditions affecting safety are such as to render the full application of this chapter unreasonable or unnecessary, provided that the Administration has taken into account the effect such exemptions and equivalents may have upon the safety of all other ships.
3 Each Administration shall submit to the Organization, as soon as possible after 1 January in each year, a report summarising all new exemptions and equivalents granted under paragraph 2 of this regulation during the previous calendar year and giving the reasons for granting such exemptions and equivalents. The Organization shall circulate such particulars to other Contracting Governments for information.
Summary
Administrations may grant exemptions or equivalents to the Regulations within strict safety parameters.
Guidance Notes
1. This paragraph allows Administrations to grant general exemptions to vessels with no means of propulsion (e.g. certain types of vessel used in the offshore industry) from the Regulations specified.
2. Paragraph 3.2 is the same wording as Regulation 12(u) of the previous SOLAS V(74) allowing Administrations to grant exemptions under specific conditions on limited voyages. It should be noted though that the scope for exemptions is now broader, because the old Regulation 12 only related to shipborne navigational equipment.
3. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will be informed annually by Administrations of every exemption or equivalence granted under this Regulation.