1. In general, these Rules are based on national and international standards listed in Annex A. They will be adapted to the latest editions of these standards when deemed necessary or will be modified to account for the progress of knowledge. The Rules reflect the state of the art in vibration and acoustic technology.

2. Some important definitions for expressions used in these Rules are given in Annex B.

3. Among various comfort-promoting factors (e.g. decor and furniture of cabins and public spaces, indoor climate, board service, ship motions etc.), two main parameters determining the comfort on board a passenger ship are dealt with in these Rules: noise and vibration.

4. In this context, noise and vibration are defined as follows: – Noise: Audible air pressure variations, generated for instance by main engines, propellers, auxiliary machinery, systems and persons within the frequency range of 16 to 16 000 Hz. – Vibration: Structural oscillations in the frequency range of 1 to 80 Hz

5. The influence of ship motions (seasickness) on human wellbeing is not considered in these Rules.

6. These Rules are intended to support owners and shipyards to specify requirements regarding comfort for passengers and crew on board seagoing passenger ships.

7. Requirements according to current regulations of the responsible flag state regarding maximum noise and vibration levels in crew spaces have to be fulfilled independently of these Rules.

8. If the maximum speed of the passenger ship exceeds 25 knots, requirements defined for fast passenger vessels shall be applied.

9. If the maximum speed of the passenger ship exceeds v = 7,16 ⋅ Δ^1/6 [knots], the requirements defined for high speed craft have to be applied.

10. If the length between perpendiculars is less than 120 m, limit values given in these Rules do not apply. They shall be agreed upon separately after conferring with Germanischer Lloyd (GL).