New fire protection requirements for ships designed to carry containers on or above the weather deck

27 March 2015 / C15009

Amendments to SOLAS Regulation II-2/10 include new provisions for fire protection of cargo on-deck applicable to new ships

NOTICE TO
Ship Owners / Managers / Operators  |  Flag Administrations  |  Builders  |  Manufacturers

Following worries raised by the Maritime Industry with respect to fire protection provisions for the carriage of large quantities of containers on deck, the IMO has identified the need to increase fire-fighting capability for ships carrying containers on or above the weather deck.

Through MSC.365(93) amendments have been adopted to SOLAS Regulation II-2/10 along with the connected MSC Circulars.  The amended SOLAS regulation requires:

• All new ships constructed on or after January 1, 2016 designed to carry containers on or above the weather deck, in addition to the existing equipment and arrangements, to be fitted with at least one water mist lance.  The water mist lance shall consist of a tube with a piercing nozzle which is capable of penetrating a container wall and producing water mist inside a confined space (container,) when connected to the fire main.
• All new ships constructed on or after January 1, 2016 designed to carry five or more tiers of containers on or above the weather deck shall carry, in addition to the existing equipment and arrangements, mobile water monitors as follows:
• ships with breath less than 30 meters: at least two mobile water monitors; or
• ships with breadth of 30 meters or more: at least four mobile water monitors.

As a consequence to the above amendments, MSC.1/Circ.1472 has been revised to provide guidance for the design, performance, testing and approval of mobile water monitors used for the protection of on-deck cargo areas of ships designed and constructed to carry five or more tiers of containers on or above the weather deck.  Moreover, the MSC.1/Circ.1432 shall be amended to include mobile water monitors in its scope in any future revision.

act now

Ship Owners, Managers, Builders and Manufacturers for the protection of on-deck cargo areas of ships designed and constructed to carry containers on or above the weather deck.  Although the above revised regulation is applicable to new ships we foresee that in the future these amendments will be extended to existing ships.  An important factor to be taken into account from Ship Owners / Managers is the training of crew members on board for the use and maintenance of new firefighting equipment.