IMO Revised Emergency Towing Procedures 25.10.2025 14:37
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Circular MSC.1/Circ.1255/Rev.1 represents a significant update to the global standards for marine safety and emergency preparedness.
Approved by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) at its 110th session, these Revised Guidelines for Owner/Operators on Preparing Emergency Towing Procedures supersede the previous 2008 version.
The document is designed to assist ship owners and operators in complying with SOLAS regulation II-1/3-4 by creating robust, ship-specific plans for emergency towage. Its fundamental purpose is to remove the need for deliberation during a crisis, ensuring that the crew has an efficient, predetermined course of action ready to execute the moment an emergency - such as a power shortage or imminent grounding - requires assistance from a salvage or towing vessel.
This circular supersedes MSC.1/Circ.1255.
The purpose of these Revised Guidelines is to assist owners/operators in preparing ship-specific emergency towing procedures for ships subject to SOLAS regulation II-1/3-4. The procedures should be considered as part of the emergency preparedness required by paragraph 8 of part A of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code.
The Revised Guidelines mandate a three-part structured approach to creating effective Emergency Towing Procedures (ETP): Evaluation, Documentation and Development.
The Evaluation should be performed by persons knowledgeable in towing equipment and operations. The owner/operator should ensure that the ship is inspected and its capability to be towed under emergency situations is evaluated. Both equipment on board and available procedures should be reviewed. Items that need to be inspected are described in the following paragraphs.
All procedures documented in accordance with section 5 should be presented in a clear and easy-to-understand format, which will aid their smooth and swift application in an emergency situation. The Emergency Towing Booklet (ETB) should be ship-specific and be presented in a clear, concise and ready-to-use format (booklet, plan, poster, etc.).
Ship-specific procedures should be identified during the ship's evaluation and entered accordingly in the ETB.
IBICON offers your company services for the development and correction of the "Emergency Towing Booklet" within the framework of the Safety management System (SMS), as well as thematic Safety Posters related to ship operations:
