The Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction: Ships of Classes III to VI(A)) Regulations 1998

Boilers and other pressure vessels

52.—(1) Every boiler or other pressure vessel and its respective mountings shall, before being put into service for the first time, be subjected to a hydraulic test to a pressure suitably in excess of the working pressure which will ensure that the boiler or other pressure vessel and its mountings are adequate in strength and design for the service for which it is intended and having regard to—

(a) the design and the material of which it is constructed;

(b) the purpose for which it is intended to be used; and

(c) the working conditions under which it is intended to be used;

and every such boiler or other pressure vessel and its respective mountings shall at any time thereafter be capable of withstanding such a test and shall be maintained in an efficient condition.

(2) Means shall be provided which will prevent overpressure in any part of boilers and other pressure vessels, and in particular every boiler and every unfired steam generator shall be provided with not less than two safety valves. Provided that, having regard to the output or any other feature of any boiler or unfired steam generator, only one safety valve may be fitted if it can be shown that adequate protection against overpressure is provided.

(3) In every ship where oil fired water tube boilers are fitted, an automatic boiler water low level alarm and an automatic boiler water level shut-off valve in the fuel supply pipe to the furnace fronts shall be provided.

Additional requirements for ships constructed on or after 1st September 1984

(4) Every water tube boiler serving turbine machinery shall be fitted with a high water level alarm.

(5) Every oil fired boiler which is not continuously attended shall be provided with arrangements to shut off the fuel supply and give an alarm at an attended location in the event of low boiler water level, combustion air supply failure or flame failure.

(6) Every boiler designed to contain water at a specific level shall be provided with at least two means for indicating the water level, at least one of which shall be a direct reading gauge glass.

(7) Means shall be provided to test and control the quality of the water in the boilers.