MSC/Circ.884
21 December 1998
The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventieth session (7 to 11 December 1998), considered Guidelines for safe ocean towing, as prepared by the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) at its forty-first session (9 to 13 March 1998) and, in order to enhance safety of navigation and environmental protection, agreed to the need for such Guidelines for commercial towing operations which, by their nature, are not salvage or rescue towing services.
Recalling the adoption by the eighteenth session of the Assembly of resolution A.765(18) on Guidelines on the safety of towed ships and other floating objects, including installations, structures and platforms at sea and the availability of guidance to minimize the danger to navigation from towed objects, which have broken adrift from the towing vessel, have grounded or are out of control, the Committee approved the Guidelines for safe ocean towing, as set out in the annex.
The objectives of these Guidelines are to ensure safety at sea, prevention of human injury or loss of life, avoidance of damage to the environment, in particular to the marine environment, and to property through providing minimum recommendations for the organization, planning and execution of ocean towages and the design of associated equipment.
These Guidelines are applicable to international ocean towing operations from one State to another State. However, these guidelines may also be used for any other ocean towing operation.
These Guidelines do only apply to commercial towage operations, which are not in the nature of salvage. However, amongst towing vessels available to undertake such towing, priority should be given to those which are fitted to the nearest extent in line with section 12.
The status of these Guidelines is advisory.
MSC Circular 884 available:
http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHelper.asp?data_id=1798&filename=884.PDF
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