Several discussions during the CESNI committee meeting in Strasbourg were relevant to owners of traditional sailing vessels. The Dutch delegation presented the broad outline of a revised chapter for sailing vessels (Chapter 20). The September meeting will be used to further develop the proposal in more detail.
The revision of the chapter was prompted by a series of accidents involving the rigging of traditional sailing vessels. The Dutch Safety Board investigated these accidents and issued recommendations for ship operators, inspection bodies and the government.
The technical requirements themselves will not change significantly. Instead, they will become more precise and leave less room for interpretation, which was identified as one of the causes of shortcomings in the certification process. In addition, a rig book will become a new requirement.
The rig book was proposed by the BBZ, as it forms part of the industry standard that was developed in the aftermath of the accidents. A rig book describes the vessel’s rigging in detail. All components are listed and documented, including, where applicable, dimensions, safe working loads, installation dates, product certification and manufacturer information. It can be compared to a technical drawing and specification of a building.
The rig book also includes a planned maintenance schedule, a log of maintenance carried out, inspection records for critical parts of the rigging, the findings of those inspections, and any required follow-up actions.
Its format is not prescribed. Operators may use a sophisticated maintenance management system such as Marad, or simply keep a well-organised notebook. Naval architect Marijke de Jong, one of the driving forces behind the efforts to improve procedures and knowledge relating to traditional rigs, has developed a practical rig book template in Excel.
From an operator’s perspective, the biggest challenge will be to consistently record all changes and maintenance carried out on the rigging. This is often perceived as an administrative burden.
