ABS

SOLAS regulations II-2/13.4.1 and 13.4.2 specify the requirements for the means of escape from machinery spaces on passenger and cargo ships, respectively. Those regulations require one of the two means of escape from machinery spaces to be located inside a protected enclosure from the "lower part of the space".

The term "lower part" refers to the protected enclosure but is not explicitly defined in the SOLAS regulations. In this context, IACS proposed a unified interpretation, which was approved by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee during its 95th session in June 2015. This unified interpretation was released as MSC.1/Circ.1511 and applies to vessels with a keel laying date on or after January 1, 2016. The document specifies the "lower part" as the "lowest deck level, platform, or passageway within the space."


https://ww2.eagle.org/content/dam/eagle/regulatory-news/2026/Escape-from-Machinery-Spaces-of-Category-A.pdf