Gangway Safety: New Rules for Ship-to-Shore Access (2026)

The short walk between a ship and the quay is one of the most dangerous few metres in any port. Every year, seafarers and shore workers are killed or seriously hurt in falls between the vessel and the wharf, in gangway collapses, and in slips from unlit or badly secured accommodation ladders. The hazard is old and well understood, yet the incidents keep repeating: a gangway rigged at too steep an angle, no safety net rigged beneath it, a handrail that gives way, a walkway left in darkness on a night watch. A person who goes into the water between a moving hull and a concrete face has very little chance of being recovered in time.

Regulators have now tightened the rules that govern this space. In June 2025, the International Maritime Organization approved revised guidelines for the design, construction, installation, maintenance and inspection of gangways and accommodation ladders, tied to the mandatory SOLAS regulation that already governs safe access. Those revised guidelines carry application dates that start to bite from 1 July 2026. This article explains what changed, who it applies to, the core requirements, and gives terminal operators a practical checklist to work from. It is written for both ship crews and shore-side terminal workers, because responsibility for safe access sits on both sides of the gangway.

What changed, and when it takes effect

The backbone requirement has been in force for years. SOLAS regulation II-1/3-9, "Means of embarkation on and disembarkation from ships," was adopted in 2008 and entered into force on 1 January 2010. It is mandatory. It requires ships to be fitted with means of embarkation and disembarkation that are constructed, installed and maintained so that people can get on and off safely, and it points to detailed IMO guidelines for how to do that. You can read the regulation text summarised at imorules and the SOLAS overview on the IMO SOLAS page.

What is new is the guidance underneath that regulation. The IMO Maritime Safety Committee, at its 110th session held from 18 to 27 June 2025, approved a revised version of the guidelines commonly cited as MSC.1/Circ.1331 (the revision is generally referenced as MSC.1/Circ.1331/Rev.1). A summary of that session is published on the IMO MSC 110 meeting page. The main practical changes are these:

• The guidelines now recognise side nets as an accepted alternative to conventional safety nets rigged beneath the walkway, and they set out the conditions for using each.
• References to the applicable ISO standards for accommodation ladders, gangways and their winches have been updated, so that equipment meets current design and testing standards.
• The updated ISO references and net provisions are intended to apply to accommodation ladders, gangways and associated winches that are installed or replaced on or after 1 July 2026.

Two points on the nature of these rules. First, the guidelines are technically guidance, but because SOLAS regulation II-1/3-9 makes compliance with the guidelines the yardstick for meeting a mandatory requirement, treating them as optional is a mistake. Flag States and class societies will inspect against them. Second, the exact wording and the final application dates are set by the IMO and the flag administration. Operators should confirm the current text and effective date with their flag State and classification society before relying on any single date in this article, because national implementation can vary.

Who it applies to

Safe access is a shared duty, and the regulatory reach is broad.

• Ship owners and vessel operators carry the SOLAS obligation to fit, maintain and inspect compliant means of access, and to keep the records that prove it.
• Marine terminal operators and stevedores control the shore end of the walkway, the landing area, lighting on the quay, and the movement of workers across the gangway. In the United States, this is where OSHA's marine terminal and longshoring standards apply.
• Longshore supervisors and port safety managers are responsible for ensuring that no worker is directed across an unsafe means of access, and for stopping work when access is not safe.

The jurisdictional line matters. Under the US framework, longshoring rules in 29 CFR Part 1918, Subpart C (Gangways and Other Means of Access) treat the gangway as part of the vessel: once a worker steps onto the foot of the gangway, Part 1918 applies. When that worker steps off onto the pier or dock, the marine terminal rules in 29 CFR Part 1917 take over. Neither side can assume the other has it covered.

The core requirements

Pulling the frameworks together, the following are the elements that a compliant, safe means of access needs to satisfy. Some are firm requirements, some are recommended practice, and the checklist below flags which is which.

Design, strength and rating

The gangway or accommodation ladder must be of adequate strength for the loads it will carry, structurally sound, and fit for the vessel and berth. Under the revised IMO guidelines, equipment installed or replaced on or after 1 July 2026 should meet the applicable ISO standards. Industry reporting points to ISO 5488 for accommodation ladders, ISO 7061 for aluminium shore gangways, and a separate ISO standard for accommodation ladder winches. The precise standard numbers and edition years should be confirmed against the revised circular and the manufacturer's certification, because the referenced editions have been updated.

Safety net or side net

A properly rigged net beneath or alongside the means of access is one of the single most important defences against a fatal fall into the water. The revised guidelines now accept a side net as an alternative to a safety net rigged under the walkway, provided the relevant conditions are met. In Canada, the Maritime Occupational Health and Safety Regulations require a safety net to be fitted under every part of a ladder, accommodation ladder or gangway, except where the walkway and its approaches are constructed so that a net is unnecessary. Do not treat "unnecessary" as a default. If there is any gap over water or over the quay edge, rig the net.

Angle, securing and movement

An accommodation ladder or gangway should be adjusted, as the tide and the ship's draught change, so that its angle to the horizontal stays within safe limits. Canadian guidance points to an angle to the horizontal of not more than 40 degrees where feasible. At least one end of the means of access must be securely fastened, and where movement needs to be minimised, a person should be stationed to tend it. Ranging of the ship along the berth, tidal range, and cargo operations all change the geometry through the day, so securing and angle are not a set-and-forget task.

Lighting

The means of access, the landing area and the immediate approaches must be adequately lit whenever they are in use, including through the night and in poor visibility. Many falls happen in the dark at the top or bottom of the walkway, where a missed step or an unseen edge does the damage.

Width and alternatives

US longshoring rules give a concrete benchmark: whenever practicable, a gangway of not less than 20 inches in width, of adequate strength, maintained in safe repair and safely secured, must be used. Where a gangway is not practicable, a straight ladder that extends at least 36 inches above the upper landing and is secured against shifting may be used, and only where neither is possible may a Jacob's ladder be used. Gangways on vessels inspected and certificated by the US Coast Guard are deemed to meet the section.

Inspection, maintenance and records

The means of access must be inspected before use and maintained in safe repair, and the supporting structure, securing points, safety pins and nets must be examined regularly, including at annual surveys. Wires used to support the means of access are subject to the same maintenance discipline as lifesaving launching appliances, which means periodic inspection and renewal on a defined schedule. Records are not optional paperwork: they are how an owner or terminal demonstrates that a competent person checked the equipment and found it safe. If it is not recorded, it did not happen as far as an inspector or an incident investigator is concerned.

National frameworks worth confirming

Beyond SOLAS, three national or regional frameworks matter for terminals and vessels working in North America.

In British Columbia specifically, marine operations fall under the WorkSafeBC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, including its Part 24 on marine operations. Terminals operating in Canada should read the federal Maritime OHS Regulations and the Transport Canada guidance together with any provincial requirements that apply to shore-side work.

A practical compliance checklist for terminal operators

Use the following as a daily and periodic check on every berth where people cross between ship and shore. Treat items marked "requirement" as firm obligations under one or more of the frameworks above, and items marked "good practice" as strongly recommended controls.

1. Before-use check by a competent person (requirement): confirm the gangway or accommodation ladder is structurally sound, correctly rigged, and free of visible damage before anyone crosses.
2. Net rigged (requirement in Canada, strongly expected elsewhere): confirm a safety net or accepted side net is rigged under or alongside the full length that passes over water or the quay edge.
3. Secure fastening (requirement): at least one end fastened securely, with movement tended as the ship ranges or the tide changes.
4. Angle within limit (good practice, verify against your rules): keep the walkway angle within the safe range, adjusting for tide and draught, with 40 degrees to the horizontal as a common ceiling.
5. Adequate width and handrails (requirement): use a gangway of adequate width and strength with sound handrails and stanchions; know your fallback order if a gangway is not practicable.
6. Lighting (requirement): confirm the walkway, landing and approaches are adequately lit for night and low-visibility use.
7. Clear landing areas (requirement): keep the top and bottom landings clear of obstructions, ice, snow, oil and trip hazards.
8. Lifebuoy and rescue gear to hand (good practice): a lifebuoy with line positioned near the access point for a fall into the water.
9. Equipment standards for new or replaced gear (requirement from application date): confirm accommodation ladders, gangways and winches installed or replaced on or after 1 July 2026 meet the applicable ISO standards cited in the revised guidelines.
10. Records kept (requirement): log every before-use check, periodic inspection, maintenance action and defect, with dates, the competent person's name, and photo evidence of the rigged access.

Bringing it together

The direction of travel is clear. Safe access between ship and shore is no longer a matter of rigging a gangway and hoping the net is not needed. It is a documented, inspected, standard-referenced system that both the vessel and the terminal are accountable for. A fictional example makes the point: a mid-size bulk terminal, call it Harbour Point Terminal, that logs a before-use gangway check with a photo at every shift change has a defensible record if an incident occurs and, more importantly, catches the loose stanchion or the un-rigged net before someone falls. The terminal that relies on memory has neither.

Make Safety Easy lets marine terminal and vessel crews run and document daily gangway and means-of-access inspections directly from a phone, with photo evidence, competent-person sign-offs, and a time-stamped record for every berth. Standardise your before-use checks, prove your net and securing were in place, and keep an audit-ready history without paper. See how at Make Safety Easy.