Safe Return to Port

Safe Return to Port

Safe Return to Port (SRtP) refers to SOLAS regulation adopted by IMO resolution MSC.216(82), which entered into force on July 1, 2010. The regulation requires passenger vessels with a length of 120 metres or more or with three or more main vertical zones to be designed for improved survivability. This means that, in the event of a flood or fire emergency, passengers and crew can stay safely on board as the ship proceeds to port under her own power. It defines a threshold where the ship’s crew should be able to return to port without requiring passengers to evacuate.

The scale of the SRtP compliance sets great challenges for ship design. Many systems need to be doubled or their operation in a damage situation needs to be secured in other ways. The SRtP safety regulations involve an innovative approach, excellent teamwork, modern tools and the application of best practices. Being a life-long process, it needs to be well planned and organised throughout the life-cycle of a vessel.

Deltamarin has compiled packages of the scope of SRtP-related design and documentation following the different life-cycle phases of the newbuilding. In addition to enhanced safety, the focus is to provide necessary design guidelines and documentation for authority acceptance as well as instructions for installation inspections, testing and on-board emergency procedures.

Our pre-contract phase package includes:

  • Collection of design criteria that have an impact on SRtP
  • Definition of design strategy with guidelines for successful basic design
  • Description of safe area arrangements and services
  • Outline of essential systems

The engineering package includes:

  • Development of design items including principal diagrams of essential SRtP-related systems
  • Definition of casualty scenarios where General Arrangement, Machinery Arrangement, structural fire protection plan (SFP) and watertight subdivision are analysed to identify the risk of fire or flooding
  • Assessment and analysis of each essential system identified as critical in order to define corrective actions that will bring the system back to a non-critical state

The commissioning package includes specifications and checklists for the ship’s construction phase, for inspecting installations as well as to form a basis for on-board documentation (maintenance instructions and descriptions of emergency procedures) for the crew. Class and administration also require the same information.

Deltamarin develops the vessel concept hand-in-hand with the SRtP strategy and design principles followed in all new building phases. We aim to give our client predictable and correctly identified cost, weight and timetable data from the start of the project.

Safe areas, redundant machinery, propulsion and steering as well as pipe, duct and cable tray routings, etc. are followed up (analysed, developed, improved) throughout the design and building phases to ensure that they comply with the defined strategy. The documentation developed will form the basis for crew training and decision support later on. The SRtP philosophy will govern the vessel’s safety procedures during her entire lifespan.

Already in 2011, Deltamarin’s work on the SRtP issues gained recognition as, together with the owner of the Channel ferry ‘Spirit of Britain’, P&O Ferries and the builder STX Finland, we received the Safe Return to Port Award granted by Shippax, the Swedish news publisher and conference organiser.

Let us help you in your safety challenges!

For more information, please contact

Kristian Knaapi Deltamarin
Kristian Knaapi
Sales, cargo ships
Tel. +358 2 4336 453
Mobile +358 40 7006 905
kristian.knaapi@deltamarin.com
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