These Guidelines have been developed for the design and construction of new offshore supply vessels with a view to promoting the safety of such vessels and their personnel, recognizing the unique design features and service characteristics of these vessels.

These Guidelines furthermore provide a standard of safety equivalent to the relevant requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, and in particular to the stability criteria of the Code on Intact Stability for all Types of Ships Covered by IMO Instruments (IS Code), as amended.

Recognizing that for certain limited areas of operation and service characteristics it is unreasonable to apply these Guidelines in full, the
possibility of relaxations has been introduced by the concept of “near-coastal voyage”.

Provisions for offshore supply vessels carrying more than 12 industrial personnel are not included in these Guidelines.When an offshore supply vessel is used for special purposes, such as diving assistance or oceanographic surveys, the persons on board in connexion with
these special purposes should be treated as special personnel.

The content of these Guidelines was reviewed in 2006 in order to update the references contained therein, to enhance subdivision and damage stability requirements, to remove duplication of the content between the Guidelines and the IS Code and to introduce an appropriate documentation of compliance with the Guidelines.

Update: Supplement for the Offshore Supply Vessels Guidelines, has been published and is available to download here