ISO 16855:2013

Ships and marine technology - Loose gear of lifting appliances on ships - General requirements

ISO 16855:2013 specifies the general requirements for loose gear of lifting appliances on ships. ISO 16855:2013 is applicable to lifting appliances on ships.

Navires et technologie maritime — Accessoires mobiles des appareils de levage sur les navires — Exigences générales

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 08-Dec-2013
• ICS: 47.020.40 - Lifting and cargo handling equipment
• ICS: 47.020.50 - Deck equipment and installations
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 8/SC 4 - Outfitting and deck machinery
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 8/SC 4/WG 6 - Marine lifting appliances
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 02-Sep-2024
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO 16855:2013 - “Ships and marine technology - Loose gear of lifting appliances on ships - General requirements” defines the general requirements for loose gear (detachable lifting components) used with shipboard lifting appliances. It applies to a wide range of loose gear items such as chains, hooks, blocks, shackles, swivels, lifting beams and spreaders. The standard addresses materials, construction, testing, marking and inspection to ensure safe working loads and reliable shipboard rigging.

Key topics and requirements

• Scope and definitions: Clarifies what constitutes loose gear (e.g., hooks, blocks, shackles, rigging screws, lifting beams).
• Materials: Prohibits cast iron/steel for hooks, eyes, swivels and shackles; requires appropriate heat treatment of forgings and recommends quality steel production (e.g., electroslag remelting for shackles).
• Blocks and sheaves:
  • Design to minimize clearance between sheaves and partitions to prevent rope jamming.
  • Lubrication provisions for bearings and swivel heads without dismantling.
  • Snatch blocks are not permitted in lifting appliance systems.
  • Minimum sheave-to-rope diameter ratios specified (examples from Table 1: derrick rigs - 13 for running ropes, cranes/submersible systems - 19 for wire ropes; fibre ropes - 6).
• Other technical rules:
  • Hooks (“C” type) designed to avoid catching ship structure; swivel between hook and short link chain for free rotation; shackles with screwed pins and anti‑loosen devices.
  • Prohibits welding to lengthen or repair chains, hooks, links, shackles or swivels.
  • Replacement criteria for worn or cracked items (e.g., >10% wastage of dimensions for certain parts).
• Testing requirements:
  • Test machines and weights must be calibrated/certified to ±2%.
  • Every item must be proof-tested for at least 5 minutes with specified loads (examples from Table 2: single-sheave blocks - 4× SWL; multi-sheave blocks - 2× SWL; chains/hooks/rings/shackles/swivels - 2× SWL; chains also require breaking tests - sample links to withstand 4× SWL).
  • Post-test inspection for deformation, cracks and free rotation.
• Marking and documentation:
  • Permanent visible marking after testing: safe working load (t), material quality mark, manufacturer/test unit stamp, rope diameter (for blocks), and self-weight for beams.
  • Recommendation to keep rigging plans/specifications on board (referencing ISO 233 symbol tables).

Practical applications

• Ensures safe selection, manufacture, testing and identification of loose lifting gear used on cargo cranes, derricks, winches and handling systems aboard ships.
• Reduces risk of lifting accidents, rope jamming, and component failure through enforced design, testing and marking criteria.

Who should use this standard

• Shipbuilders and shipyards
• Marine equipment manufacturers (hooks, shackles, blocks, lifting beams)
• Ship operators, riggers and deck crews
• Classification societies, Flag Administrations and marine surveyors
• Procurement and safety/PSC inspectors

Related standards

• ISO 233 (documentation / symbol tables for rigging plans)
• ISO 1837 (lifting hooks nomenclature)
• ISO 2415 (forged shackles for general lifting purposes)

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 16855
First edition
2013-12-15
Ships and marine technology — Loose
gear of lifting appliances on ships —
General requirements
Navires et technologie maritime — Accessoires mobiles des appareils
de levage sur les navires — Exigences générales
Reference number
©
ISO 2013
© ISO 2013
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
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Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 1
3 Technical requirements . 1
3.1 Materials . 1
3.2 Blocks . 1
3.3 Other technical requirements . 2
4 Test requirements . 2
5 Marking . 3
Bibliography . 7
Foreword
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The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 8, Ships and marine technology, Subcommittee
SC 4, Outfitting and deck machinery.
iv © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 16855:2013(E)
Ships and marine technology — Loose gear of lifting
appliances on ships — General requirements
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies the general requirements for loose gear of lifting appliances on
ships.
This International Standard is applicable to lifting appliances on ships.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
loose gear
gear which is not permanently attached to the lifting appliances, such as chains, triangle eyeplates,
hooks, blocks, shackles, swivels, sockets, preventer guys with patent clips, and rigging screws
Note 1 to entry: Lifting beams, spreaders, frames, and similar items of equipment are also regarded as loose gear.
2.2
safe working load
certified load for which the component has been designed and tested
Note 1 to entry: This certified load should be not less than the maximum load to which the component will be
subjected when the appliance of which it forms part is operating at its SWL.
3 Technical requirements
3.1 Materials
3.1.1 Loose gear, such as hooks, lifting eyes, swivels, and shackles shall not be made of cast iron or cast
steel.
3.1.2 Forgings shall be normalized or normalized and tempered or otherwise heat-treated according to
a method appropriate to the properties of materials. Shackle materials shall use solid steel manufactured
by Martin furnaces, electric furnaces, or oxygen top blown converters; it is recommended to use the
electroslag remelting process.
3.2 Blocks
3.2.1 Blocks shall be so constructed to minimize the clearance between sheaves and enclosure
partition plates to prevent ropes from jamming.
3.2.2 Effective lubricating shall be maintained to the blocks during operation. Provision shall be made
for lubricating all bearings and swivel head fittings without dismantling the block.
3.2.3 Snatch blocks shall not be used in the lifting appliance systems.
3.2.4 The ratio of sheave diameter measured at the bottom of rope groove to the diameter of rope shall
not be less than that as given in Table 1.
Table 1 — Ratio of sheave diameter to rope diameter
Sheave diameter/rope diameter
Use of sheaves
Running ropes Static ropes
Derrick rigs (including derrick cranes) 13 8
Wire ropes
Cranes and submersible handling systems 19 8
Fibre ropes 6
3.3 Other technical requirements
3.3.1 “C” type hooks shall be so designed as to prevent the risk of the hook from catching on the ship’s
structure or other obstruction when hoisting by means of a hook shelter. Hooks for special purposes, such
as for lifting freight containers, shall comply with the appropriate recognized International Standards.
3.3.2 Swiv
...