Accommodation ladder

An accommodation ladder is the inclined gangway-style ladder rigged over a ship’s side to give safe access between the deck and a quay, pontoon, or boat alongside. SOLAS Chapter II-1 Regulation 3-9 and IMO Resolution MSC.226(82) set the construction, rigging, and maintenance standard, with annual inspection and a five-year load test of the ladder, davit, and winch. The treads stay horizontal through the rigging range, stanchions and rigid handrails run both sides, and a safety net is fitted underneath. Port state control checks the rigging plate and test records; a failed or unsafe arrangement is a recurring detention item.