A—l 6

CHAPTER lI—CONSTRUCTION PART A—GENERAL Regulation 1 Application (a) (i) Unless expressly provided otherwise, this Chapter applies to new ships. (ii) In the case of existing passenger ships and cargo ships which do not already comply with the provisions of this Chapter relating to new ships, the arrangements on each ship shall be considered by the Administration, with a view to improvements being made to provide increased safety where practicable and reasonable. (b) For the purpose of this Chapter : (i) A new passenger ship is a passenger ship the keel of which is laid on or after the date of coming into force of the present Convention, or a cargo ship which is converted to a passenger ship on or after that date, all other passenger ships being described as existing passenger ships. (ii) A new cargo ship is a cargo ship the keel of which is laid on or after the date of coming into force of the present Convention. (c) Each Administration may, if it considers that the sheltered nature and conditions of the voyage are such as to render the application of any specific requirements of this Chap'ter unreasonable or unnecessary, exempt from those requirements individual ships or classes of ships belonging to its country which, in the course of their voyage, do not proceed more than twenty miles from the nearest land. (d) In the case of a passenger ship which is permitted under Kegulation 22 of Chapter 111 to carry a number of persons on board in excess of the life-boat capacity provided, it shall comply with the special standards of subdivision set out in Regulation 5 (e), and the associated special provisions regarding permeability in Regulation 4 (d), unless the Administration is satisfied that, having regard to the nature and conditions of the voyage, compliance with the other provisions of the regulations of this Chapter is sufficient. (e) In the case of passenger ships which are employed in the carriage of large numbers of unberthed passengers in special trades, such, for example, as the pilgrim trade, the Administration, if satisfied that it is impracticable to enforce compliance with the requirements of this Chapter, may exempt such ships, when they belong to its country, from those requirements on the following conditions : (i) That the fullest provision which the circumstances of the trade will permit shall be made in the matter of construction. (ii) That steps shall be taken to formulate general rules which shall be applicable to the particular circumstances of these trades. Such rules shall be formulated in concert with such other Contracting Governments, if any, as may be directly interested in the carriage of such passengers in such trades. Notwithstanding any provisions of the present Convention, the Simla Rules, 1931, shall continue in force as between the. parties to those rules until the rules formulated under subparagraph (e) (ii) of this regulation shall come into force.

23