No. 6 of 2026 (Rev. 1) - IMPLEMENTATION OF SOLAS CHAPTER II-1 REGULATION 3-13 FOR LIFTING APPLIANCES AND ANCHOR HANDLING WINCHES ON BOARD SINGAPORE-REGISTERED SHIPS

MARITIME AND PORT AUT HORITY OF SINGAPORE

SHIPPIN G C IRCU LAR

NO. 6 OF 2026 REV.1

MPA Shipping Division

460 A lexand ra Road

21st Storey mTower

Singapore 119963

http://www.mpa.gov.sg

29 June 2026

Attention to: Shipowners, ship managers, operators and masters of Singapore-

registered ships, the shipping community and recognised organisations1.

IMPLEMENTATION OF SOLAS CHAPTER II-1 REGULATION 3-13 FOR LIFTING

APPLIANCES AND ANCHOR HANDLING WINCHES ON BOARD SINGAPORE-

REGISTERED SHIPS

This Shipping Circular supersedes Shipping Circular No. 6 of 2026 relating to the

implementation of SOLAS Chapter II-1 Regulation 3-13.

2 This circular sets out the updated requirements by the Maritime and Port Authority

of Singapore (MPA), as flag Administration of Singapore-registered ships, for the

implementation of SOLAS Chapter II-1 Regulation 3-13 for lifting appliances and anchor

handling winches on board all Singapore-registered ships, along with associated

guidelines.

Application

3 SOLAS Chapter II-1 Regulation 3-13, which entered into force on 1 January 2026

through the adoption of IMO Resolution MSC.532(107), shall apply to lifting appliances

and anchor handling winches, and loose gear utilised with the lifting appliances and

anchor handling winches. This regulation shall be interpreted together with associated

guidelines in MSC.1/Circ. 1662 – Guidelines for Anchor Handling Winches, and

MSC.1/Circ. 1663 – Guidelines for Lifting Appliances, where necessary.

4 Notwithstanding, this regulation is not applicable to:

a. Lifting appliances on ships certified under the Code for the Construction and

Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU Code);

1 American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Bureau Veritas (BV), China Classification Society (CCS), Det

Norske Veritas (DNV), Korean Register (KR), Lloyd’s Register (LR), Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NK), Registro

Italiano Navale (RINA)

b. Lifting appliances used on offshore construction ships, such as pipe/cable

laying/repair or offshore installation vessels, including ships for

decommissioning work, which comply with standards acceptable to the

Administration;

c. Integrated mechanical equipment for opening and closing hold hatch covers;

and

d. Launching appliances for life-saving equipment which are certified to be

compliant with the International Life-saving Appliance (LSA) Code.

5 With reference to SOLAS Chapter II-1 Regulation 3-13, Paragraph 1.3, which

states “The Administration shall determine to what extent the provisions of paragraphs

2.1 and 2.4 do not apply to lifting appliances which have a safe working load below 1,000

kg.”, the following positions shall be observed:

a. SOLAS Chapter II-1 Regulation 3-13 Paragraph 2.1 does not apply to new

and existing ship lifting appliances with a Safe Working Load (SWL) of below

1,000 kg, installed on or after 1 January 2026.

b. SOLAS Chapter II-1 Regulation 3-13 Paragraph 2.4 does not apply to lifting

appliances with a SWL of below 1,000 kg, installed before 1 January 2026.

c. All lifting appliances with a SWL of below 1,000 kg used on board Singapore-

registered ships shall be addressed through the following conditions in relation

to the International Safety Management (ISM) Code (Element 10 –

Maintenance of the Ship and Equipment) and Maritime Labour Convention,

2006 (MLC, 2006) (Title 4, Regulation 4.3 – Health and Safety Protection and

Accident Prevention):

i. The ISM Company is required to review their Safety Management

System (SMS) and develop an appropriate Planned Maintenance

System (PMS) accordingly to maintain all lifting appliances, anchor

handling winches and all associated loose gears (including those below

1,000 kg) in a timely manner, taking into account the Guidelines

MSC.1/Circ. 1663; and

ii. Recognised organisations issuing the Safety Management Certificate

(SMC) certification on-board Singapore-registered ships shall verify

compliance at the next scheduled SMC audit2 on/after 1 January 2026.

Change of Flag requirements

6 For foreign-registered ships transferring its registry to the Singapore Registry of

Ships after 1 January 2026, whereby the former flag(s) do not apply SOLAS Regulation

II-1/3-13 paragraphs 2.1 and 2.4 to lifting appliances with SWL of below 1,000 kg, the

2 The audit refers to intermediate or renewal verification under Part B, Chapter 13 (Certification and

Periodical Verification) of the ISM Code.

recognised organisation issuing the SMC shall verify the conditions stipulated in the

aforementioned paragraph 4(c) at the next scheduled SMC audit.

Interpretation for definition of terms

7 The following sets out interpretations for the definition of terms used in the

aforementioned regulation and associated guidelines, in relation to Singapore-registered

ships:

a. “Competent Person” means a person possessing the knowledge and

experience required for the performance of duties specified in the guidelines.

Either the recognised organisation that issues the ship’s Safety Construction

Certificate, or the Maker/Manufacturer that are acceptable to the recognised

organisation of the lifting appliances/loose gears are considered acceptable by

the Administration.

b. “Responsible Person” shall be defined in the ISM Company’s SMS. The

recognised organisation issuing the SMC shall verify compliance at the next

scheduled on-board SMC audit on or after 1 January 2026.

c. “Lifting Appliance” refers to any load-handling ship’s equipment installed

onboard with a SWL of 1,000 kg or above:

i. Used for cargo loading, transfer or discharge;

ii. Used for raising and lowering hold hatch covers or moveable bulkheads;

iii. Used as engine-room cranes;

iv. Used as stores cranes;

v. Used as hose handling cranes;

vi. Used for launch and recovery of tender boats and similar applications;

and

vii. Used as personnel handling cranes.

“Installed”3 means lifting appliances are permanently connected4 (form-

closed/bolted, bonded/welded) to the ship.

8 For ship equipment that does not fall under the above definition of lifting

appliances, as defined in paragraph 6(c), the ISM company shall ensure that these are

appropriate and suitable for use onboard the ship, including maintenance and labelling of

the safe working load as part of the company’s SMS and PMS, and the conduct of risk

assessment for each lifting task.

3 As per IACS Recommendation No. 198 for Onboard Lifting Appliances

4 Permanently connected includes the following types of connection:

a) Form-fit, form-locked or form-closed connections, such as bolted connections; and

b) Bonded connections, such as welded connections.

Form-fit, form-locked or form-closed connections means a type of connection in which forces and/or

moments are transmitted through the geometric shape of the mating parts.

Queries

9 For queries, kindly contact MPA’s Flag State Control or Ship Regulatory Design

and Standards Department via email at shipping@mpa.gov.sg or Tel: (+65) 1800 272

7777 (Select Option 1 followed by Option 3).

CHEAH AUN AUN

DIRECTOR OF MARINE

MARITIME AND PORT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE