Fire and abandon ship drills The Merchant Shipping Directorate wishes to draw the attention of Shipowners, Ship Operators, Managers, Masters, Owners’ Representatives and Recognised Organisations to the Technical Notice SLS.5 Rev.2 – Fire and abandon ship drills. Fire and Abandon Ship Drills onboard all Maltese flagged cargo ships, as required in Regulation 19.3 of Chapter III of SOLAS 74, as amended, shall be carried out at fortnightly intervals. Meanwhile, for the Fire and Abandon Ship Drills onboard all Maltese flagged passenger ships are to be carried out at weekly intervals as prescribed in Regulation 30.2 of Chapter III of SOLAS 74, as amended. This Technical Notice also highlights the guidelines on safety during abandon ship drills when using lifeboats. Click here to read Technical Notice SLS.5 Rev.2. Should you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact Dr Jotham Scerri-Diacono or any other member of the shipping team at Ganado Advocates. Go back