New lashing point requirements

From 17 May 2012, there are changes to the requirements for heavy vehicles to have suitable secure lashings points fitted when travelling on Cook Strait ferries.

Snapshot of requirements

Securing points are required to be fitted on the following vehicles, including semi-trailers, with a gross mass of 3.5 tonnes or more in weight before they may be carried on ro-ro ships on coastal and international voyages:

• road freight vehicles
• road tank vehicles
• road livestock vehicles.

As previously, rule 24B.10 does not apply to caravans, motor homes or other similar types of passenger vehicle such as coaches or buses. It also does not apply to vehicles of less than 3.5 tonnes in weight.

What has changed?

The 2012 amendments to rule 24B.10:

• Replaces the reference standard for the engineering and marking of lashing points from a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization to a more widely used New Zealand Standard.  The two standards are equivalent, and vehicles previously fitted with securing points meeting the ISO standard will comply with the amended rule.
• Make clear that semi-trailers (a vehicle designed to be coupled to a semi-trailer towing vehicle and to impose a substantial part of its total weight on the towing vehicle) are included in the class of heavy transport units required to have securing points. 
• Limits the requirement for vehicles to have securing points to units transported on ro-ro ships engaged in coastal and international voyages.

The amendments are effective from 17 May 2012.

Initially, MNZ and ferry operators will work together to educate road transport operators about the new requirements, and stress the need for any non-complying vehicles to have securing points fitted as soon as practicable. After three months, MNZ will step up compliance activity.

More information

Those who do not comply with the requirement after 1 January will be refused access on board ro-ro vessels by the ship's master.

Maritime NZ advisory circular on Part 24B-2, 2012 [PDF: 44Kb, 3 pages]

Guidance notice - Issue 21, May 2012: Carriage of heavy vehicles on roll-on/roll-off ships

Guidance notice - Issue 2, June 2007: Vehicle requirements for shipment by ro-ro
[PDF: 215Kb, 5 pages]