ANNEX 5
DRAFT MSC CIRCULAR
GUIDELINES FOR ON-BOARD USE AND APPLICATION OF COMPUTERS
1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventieth session ( ..... 1998), approved these guidelines for on-board use and application of computers, given at the annex.
2 The advent of inexpensive personal computers has resulted in rapidly-growing usage aboard merchant marine vessels for many shipboard applications, including cargo loading and trim and stability calculations. To the extent that these programmes rely upon human input of data and interpretation of output, they are potentially vulnerable to human factor errors. Although such errors will most likely emerge in the user such as shipboard officers, the actual roots of the errors might be found in other shoreside sectors; software developers who might not anticipate human factor needs, or shipping company management.
3 Requirements to Performance of such software will depend on the person/organization involved as follows：
.1 For users (ship officers)： greater consistency among programmes from different Vendors, which will make familiarization and proficiency easier and faster to achieve;
.2 For ship owners/operators： availability of well-conceived software products that include appropriate materials for training and also documentation for revising programme or data when necessary for instance to reflect any changes in the ship's weight and moment characteristics;
.3 For software developers： the benefit of a broader experience base than just their own corporate experience, and a consistent uniform standard reflecting customer expectations; and
.4 For Administrations： assurance that sophisticated programmes are developed and introduced into service, they will reflect human factor considerations and minimize chances for human error.
4 These Guidelines for on-board use and application of computers have been developed to provide an international standard for design, approval and testing of such systems and are additional to the regulations of the SOLAS Convention. However, it should be noted that certain applications of computers are defined in Performance Standards of the Organization which take precedence over these Guidelines.
5 Taking into account the number and types of computer-based systems available for on-board use is strongly increasing, that such systems are under fast development and the fact that they have considerable effect on the safety at sea, such international harmonization should be beneficial for both the manufacturers, the ship builders, the ship owner, the authorities and organizations acting on their behalf, the crew, the passengers' safety and for other users of marine services.
