The Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection) (Amendment) Regulations 1999

““Fire Test Procedures Code” means the International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures, as adopted by the MSC Resolution MSC.61(67);”;

““low flame spread” means that the surface thus described will adequately restrict the spread of flame, this being determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”;

• ““machinery spaces of category A” are those spaces and trunks to such spaces which contain–

  1. (a)

     internal combustion machinery used for main propulsion; or

  2. (b)

     internal combustion machinery used for purposes other than main propulsion where such machinery has in the aggregate a total power output of not less than 375kW; or

  3. (c)

     any oil-fired boiler or oil fuel unit;”;

““non-combustible material” means a material which neither burns nor gives off flammable vapours in sufficient quantity for self-ignition when heated to approximately 750°C, this being determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code. Any other material is a combustible material;”;

“(c)

bedding components have qualities of resistance to the ignition and propagation of flame, determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;

(d)

in the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998:

(i)

all draperies, curtains and other suspended textile materials have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame in accordance with the requirement of Type B performance of British Standard 5867: Part 2: 1980;

(ii)

all surface floor coverings have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State; and

(iii)

the upholstered parts of furniture have qualities of resistance to the ignition and propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State;

(e)

in the case of ships constructed on or after 1st July 1998:

(i)

all draperies curtains and other suspended textile materials have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame determined in accordance with the Fire Tests Procedures Code;

(ii)

all surface floor coverings have low flame spread; and

(iii)

the upholstered parts of furniture have qualities of resistance to the ignition and propagation of flame, determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”;

• ““standard fire test” is one in which a specimen of the relevant bulkhead or deck is exposed in a test furnace to temperatures corresponding approximately to a standard time-temperature curve in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”; and

“Class III	Passenger ships engaged only on voyages in the course of which they are at no time more than 70 miles by sea from their point of departure and not more than 18 miles from the coast of the United Kingdom, and which are at sea only in favourable weather and during restricted periods;
Class IV	Passenger ships engaged only on voyages in Category A, B, C or D waters;
Class V	Passenger ships engaged only on voyages in Category A, B or C waters;
Class VI	Passenger ships engaged only on voyages with not more than 250 passengers on board, to sea, or in Category A, B, C or D waters, in all cases in favourable weather and during restricted periods, in the course of which the ships are at no time more than 15 miles, exclusive of any Category A, B and C waters, from their point of departure nor more than 3 miles from land;
Class VI(A)	Passenger ships carrying not more than 50 passengers for a distance of not more than 6 miles on voyages to or from isolated communities on the islands or coast of the United Kingdom and which do not proceed for a distance of more than 3 miles from land subject to any conditions which the Secretary of State may impose;”;

• ““restricted period” means a period falling wholly within the following limits–

  1. (a)

     from 1st April to 31st October, both dates inclusive; and

  2. (b)
     between one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset in the case of ships fitted with navigation lights conforming to the regulations for the prevention of collisions3 and between sunrise and sunset in the case of any other ships;”.

“(b)

every such outfit shall comply with the requirements of regulation 46; each outfit shall include breathing apparatus complying with Schedule 5 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1665; such breathing apparatus may be either the self-contained type, or the smoke helmet/smoke mask type.”; and

“provided that, for stairway enclosures which constitute entire main vertical zones and for main vertical zones in the fore or aft end of a ship which do not contain spaces classified in accordance with Schedule 1 of MSN 1667 (M) as 6, 7, 8 or 12, no additional fireman’s outfits are required;”.

• “When an exemption is granted in accordance with this paragraph, an Exemption Certificate shall be issued. The certificate shall list all the cargoes the ship is permitted to carry.”; and

“(7)Additional requirement for ships constructed on or after 1st July 19984

Permanent openings for ventilation in the side plating, the ends or deckhead of ro-ro cargo spaces shall be so situated that a fire in the cargo space is not likely to endanger stowage areas or embarkation stations for survival craft or accommodation spaces, service spaces and control stations in superstructures and deckhouses above the special category spaces or ro-ro cargo spaces.”.

“(8A)

In the case of a ship constructed on or after 1st July 1998, all fire doors in a division constructed in compliance with regulation 54(1) or 57(1), other than power-operated watertight doors or doors which are normally locked shut, shall comply with the following requirements–

(a)

the doors shall be self-closing and be capable of closing against an angle of inclination of up to 3.5 degrees opposing closure;

(b)

the approximate time of closure for hinged fire doors shall be no more than 40 seconds and no less than 10 seconds from the beginning of their movement with the ship in upright position. The approximate uniform rate of closure for sliding fire doors shall be of no more than 0.2 m/s and no less than 0.1 m/s with the ship in the upright position;

(c)

the doors shall be capable of remote release from the continuously manned central control station, either simultaneously or in groups and shall be capable of release also individually from a position at both sides of the door. Release switches shall have an on-off function to prevent automatic resetting of the system;

(d)

hold-back hooks not subject to central control station release are prohibited;

(e)

a door closed remotely from the central control station shall be capable of being re-opened at both sides of the door by local control. After such local opening, the door shall automatically close again;

(f)

indication shall be provided at the fire door indicator panel in the continuously manned central control station whether each of the remote-released doors is closed;

(g)

the release mechanism shall be so designed that the door will automatically close in the event of disruption of the control system or main source of electric power;

(h)

local power accumulators for power-operated doors shall be provided in the immediate vicinity of the doors to enable the doors to be operated after disruption of the control system or main source of electric power at least ten times (fully opened and closed) using the local controls;

(i)

disruption of the control system or main source of electric power at one door shall not impair the safe functioning of other doors;

(j)

remote-released sliding or power-operated doors shall be equipped with an alarm that sounds for at least 5 seconds but no more than 10 seconds after the door is released from the central control station and before the door begins to move and continue sounding until the door is completely closed;

(k)

a door designed to re-open upon contacting an object in its path shall re-open not more than 1 metre from the point of contact;

(l)

double-leaf doors equipped with a latch necessary to their fire integrity shall have a latch that is automatically activated by the operation of the doors when released by the control system;

(m)

doors giving direct access to special category spaces which are power-operated and automatically closed need not be equipped with the alarms and remote release mechanisms required in subparagraphs (c) and (j);

(n)

the components of the local control system shall be accessible for maintenance and adjusting; and

(o)

power-operated doors shall be provided with a control system of an approved type which shall be able to operate in case of fire, this being determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code. This system shall satisfy the following requirements:

(i)

the control system shall be able to operate the door at the temperature of at least 200°C for at least 60 minutes served by the power supply;

(ii)

the power supply for all other doors not subject to fire shall not be impaired; and

(iii)

at temperatures exceeding 200°C the control system shall be automatically isolated from the power supply and shall be capable of keeping the door closed up to at least 945°C.”; and

• “The requirements for “A” Class integrity of the outer boundaries of the ship shall not apply to exterior doors, except for those in superstructures and deckhouses facing life-saving appliances, embarkation and external muster station areas, external stairs and open decks used for escape routes. Stairway enclosure external doors need not meet this requirement.”.

• “The following surfaces shall have low flame spread”;

“(d)

primary deck coverings, if used within accommodation or service spaces or control stations, shall be of an approved material which will not readily ignite or give rise to toxic or explosive hazards at elevated temperatures; in the case of ships constructed on or after 1st July 1998 this shall be determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”;

“(iii)

materials used to insulate pipe fittings for cold service systems, provided their exposed surfaces have low flame spread and, in the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998, have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State; and”;

“(iv)

vapour barriers and adhesives used in conjunction with insulating materials, provided that their exposed surfaces have low flame spread and, in the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998, have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State; and”; and

“(b)

paints, varnishes and other finishes used on exposed interior surfaces shall not be capable of producing excessive quantities of smoke and toxic products; and, in the case of ships constructed on or after 1st July 1998, this shall be determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code.”.

“and where fuel oil tanks are below a special category space or ro-ro cargo space, the integrity of the deck between such spaces may be reduced to “A–0” standard;”; and

“and

(f)

in the case of ships constructed on or after 1st July 1998 permanent openings for ventilation in the side plating, the ends or deckhead of special category spaces or ro-ro cargo spaces shall be so situated that a fire in the special category space or ro-ro cargo space is not likely to endanger stowage areas or embarkation stations for survival craft or accommodation spaces, service spaces and control stations in superstructures and deckhouses above the special category spaces or ro-ro cargo spaces.”.

“In the case of ships carrying more than 36 passengers–”; and

“(1)

All exposed surfaces in corridors and stairway enclosures and surfaces in concealed or inaccessible spaces within accommodation or service spaces or control stations shall have low flame spread and, in the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998, shall have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State;”;

“(2)

Primary deck coverings, if applied within accommodation or service spaces or control stations, shall be of an approved material which will not readily ignite or give rise to toxic or explosive hazards at elevated temperatures; in the case ships constructed on or after 1st July 1998, this shall be determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”;

• “Such surfaces, in the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998, shall have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State and, in the case of ships constructed on or after 1st July 1998, shall not be capable of producing excessive quantities of smoke or toxic products, this being determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”;

“(iii)

materials used to insulate pipe fittings for cold service systems, provided that their exposed surfaces have low flame spread or, in the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998, have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State; and”; and

“(iv)

vapour barriers and adhesives used in conjunction with insulating materials provided that their exposed surfaces have low flame spread or, in the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998, have qualities of resistance to the propagation of flame to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State.”.

• “In the case of ships constructed on or after 1st July 1998, such windows and sidescuttles, except wheelhouse windows, shall be of “A-60” standard;”; and

• “In the case of ships constructed before 1st July 1998, such windows and side scuttles in the first tier on the main deck shall be fitted with inside covers of steel or equivalent material.”.

““Fire Test Procedures Code” means the International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures, as adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organisation by resolution MSC.61(67);”;

““low flame spread” means that the surface described will adequately restrict the spread of flame, this being determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”;

““non-combustible material” means a material which neither burns nor gives off flammable vapours in sufficient quantity for self-ignition when heated to approximately 750°C, this being determined in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code. Any other material is a combustible material;”;

• ““standard fire test” is one in which a specimen of the relevant bulkhead or deck is exposed in a test furnace to temperatures corresponding approximately to a standard time-temperature curve in accordance with the Fire Test Procedures Code;”;

• ““suitable” in relation to material means approved by the Secretary of State as suitable for the purpose for which it is used;”; and