Chain register/cargo gear register: The chain register is the register in which data concerning a ships lifting gear

must be recorded. The term lifting gear includes derricks and cranes for the handling of stores, and also lifting gear used in the engineroom, and it is important that all such items of equipment should be properly tested, certified, marked and maintained. The greatest practical importance of the chain register for a geared bulk carrier is as a register of all items of cargohandling equipment. Such items, whether derricks or cranes, are used by stevedores for the loading and discharge of the cargo. Stevedores will expect to find that the equipment works efficiently and safely, and will, with good reason, complain about any defect in the equipment they are required to use. If they have any doubts about the condition of the equipment they will demand to inspect the chain register and it is vital that the register be kept fully and correctly up-to-date. In countries such as Australia and Canada union inspectors are likely to carry out spot checks aboard a ship to ensure that all the gear is safe, and also to verify that all items of gear are clearly marked and that test certificates can be readily located. Failure to have the chain register kept properly up-to-date can result in stoppage of work until matters have been put right, and the vessel will be put off hire in these circumstances. There are two reasons for maintaining a chain register: it may be a requirement of the country with which the ship is registered and it may be a requirement of the country in which the ship is loading or discharging cargo. In theory a chain register issued in the form approved by any national authority or classification society will be acceptable in all countries which call for a register. In practice this is generally true, particularly when the ship is well maintained, but there are exceptions. The chain register of one country is not always accepted at a local level in another country and some ship operators put aboard their ships chain registers from a number of the countries where difficulties are experienced in the ports. Thus a Liberian-registered ship may carry chain registers from Lloyds Register and from the governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India. Each country has its own requirements regarding frequency of inspection and these requirements differ one from another. Some national administrations accept the chief officer as a competent person whose signature for annual surveys is acceptable, but other countries such as India and Pakistan will accept a chief officers signature only when he has a certificate issued by the government of the state whose flag the ship flies, stating that he has the authority to sign. The Panamanian register requires all surveys to be verified by a classification society surveyor. Any chain register which the ship carries must be properly kept up to date. Before the register can be signed the following requirements must be satisfied.

Every item of cargo gear must be of sufficient safe working load (SWL), and suitable design. Every item of cargo gear must be marked with a unique identifying number. There must be a certificate, in an approved form, for each item of cargo gear, identified by its unique number. A system must exist to produce the certificate for any item of cargo gear promptly. Every item of cargo gear must be in sound condition, and well maintained. Thorough inspections of the cargo gear must be carried out at the required intervals (annually for most authorities, but three-monthly for Australia).

When the inspections have been carried out the register must be signed in the appropriate places. Registers are

normally divided into four parts to deal with four different categories of equipment. Careful study of the register will be required to identify where signatures are needed. Quadrennial or quintennial examinations of lifting gear are carried out by competent persons such as surveyors from classification societies and foreman from marine engineering works or drydocks, who will sign the chain register upon completion of their work. If several chain registers are carried, the surveyor must be asked to sign all of them. It will be apparent from the foregoing that national and local regulations for chain registers are varied, and their implementation is somewhat arbitrary. It may never be possible to comply with every requirement of every authority, but a ship aboard which the equipment is carefully maintained and renewed, properly marked and documented in accordance with the requirements of the flag State, and readily identified, will have done all that can reasonably be expected.