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The design role of statutory bodies like the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Mercantile
Marine Department (MMD) in shipbuilding is crucial for ensuring safety, compliance, and environmental
protection in maritime operations.

International Maritime Organization (IMO): The IMO plays a significant role in ship design through its
various safety and environmental regulations. The organization’s work on ship design is primarily carried out
by the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC), which operates under the Maritime Safety
Committee. The SDC is responsible for developing amendments to existing conventions and creating new
instruments, guidelines, and recommendations for the design, construction, subdivision, stability, buoyancy,
sea-keeping, and evacuation arrangements of ships.

Key aspects regulated by the IMO include:

Safety Regulations: SOLAS chapter II-1 requires ships to comply with regulations concerning
construction, structure, subdivision, stability, machinery, and electrical installations.
Load Line Convention: This convention determines the freeboard of ships, contributing to safety by
limiting the draught to which a ship may be loaded, ensuring adequate reserve buoyancy and stability.
Tonnage Measurement: The 1969 Tonnage Measurement Convention regulates the calculation of a
ship’s tonnage, which is essential for determining various safety and regulatory parameters.

Mercantile Marine Department (MMD): While specific details about the MMD’s role in ship design were
not provided in the search results, typically, national bodies like the MMD work in conjunction with
international regulations set by the IMO. They ensure that ships registered under their flag comply with both
international and national standards for ship design and construction. The MMD would oversee the
implementation of IMO regulations, conduct inspections and surveys, and issue necessary certifications to
verify compliance with the required safety and environmental standards.

In summary, statutory bodies such as the IMO and MMD are integral to the shipbuilding process, setting the
standards for design and construction that promote safety, prevent pollution, and ensure that ships are built to
withstand the rigors of the maritime environment. They achieve this through a combination of conventions,
regulations, and active oversight.