2. MARINE FIRE SAFETY
Objectives:
1. The International framework for
standards on fire protection.
2. Commonwealth Legislation
3. State Legislation – how it relates to
Commonwealth and between States
4. Developing appropriate standards for
coastal vessels – the NSCV
5. Typical fire safety systems
3. International Maritime
Organisation
• The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is
a UN body dealing with marine safety.
• The IMO develops a range of codes / standards:
• The IMO has:
– General assembly (all countries)
– Council (executive management)
– Committees
• In relation to fire safety, the Committee
concerned is the Maritime Safety Committee
(MSC)
• The MSC has a fire protection sub- committee
4. IMO – Instruments
• There is a hierarchy of standards produced by IMO:
– Conventions ( SOLAS relates to fire)
• These are adopted under particular criteria –eg SOLAS -entry into
force requires acceptance by 25 States whose merchant fleets
comprise not less than 50 per cent of the world's gross tonnage
– Circulars (specific advice / interpretation that is more detailed or
refines a convention)
– Circulars relating to fire safety are produced by the Maritime
Safety Committee (MSC)
• Eg MSC/Circ 776 – Guidelines for the approval of equivalent fixed gas
fire extinguishing systems for machinery spaces and cargo pump
rooms
– Codes – eg the Fire Safety System Code – detailed specifications
(eg fire extinguishers)
– Codes – Fire Test Procedure Code – details of testing procedures
for fire products
5. Commonwealth Legislation
• The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)
provide input for Australia on technical standards
developed by IMO
• Once an IMO Convention comes into force, the
Commonwealth makes legislation to enforce the
convention.
• Generally, Fire Safety comes under the
Navigation Act 1912 and Marine Orders made
under the Nav Act.
6. Marine Orders.
• Marine Orders Part 15 simply says SOLAS is the
standard to adopt.
• It then flows on that all lesser documents under
SOLAS (Circulars, Codes) become law under
Marine Orders Part 15
• SOLAS is primarily relevant to “ships” not boats
• MO Part 15 says that the USL Code applies to
vessels that are not “SOLAS” vessels. This
relates to vessels up to 35 metres / 500GRT
operating on intra and inter state voyages.
7. USL Code
• There is a need for a different standard for
smaller commercial vessels rather than SOLAS–
this is the Uniform Shipping Law Code (USL
Code)
• The USL Code was made by the Australian
Transport Council in the 1970’s. It is a watered
down version of IMO and Classification Society
rules that made practical rules for small coastal
vessels.
• All States were involved in formulating the USL
Code, and once finalised, all States made
legislation enforcing the USL Code.
8. Problems with the USL Code
1. The formation of the USL Code did not include a
review and update process so it became out of date.
2. The Code was inflexible because it was highly
prescriptive.
3. The Code couldn’t deal with new designs, novel craft
etc
4. The Code is ambitious because it tries to deal with a
large range of vessels under one set of rules.
5. The Code is applied differently in States due to
different interpretation of requirements.
6. The Code is applied differently in States due to
political, legislative and local requirements.
7. This led to a Inter-Governmental Agreement in 1997
that agreed to review the USL Code using a new body
called the National Marine Safety Committee.
9. The NMSC / NSCV
• The NMSC is gradually overhauling the
USL Code and developing a new
document called the National Standard for
Commercial Vessels (NSCV).
• The NSCV is designed to be more flexible
and not outdate immediately.
• The NSCV covers not only vessel design
but operator competency and safety
management.
10. General philosophy of the NSCV
1. Get to the heart of what is trying to be
achieved in the standard.
2. Set requirements for safety based on risk
assessment principles and cost benefit
analysis.
3. Provide a performance statements (safety
outcomes) that are the non-negotiable safety
outcomes.
4. Provide prescriptive solutions to meet the
safety outcome but also accept “equivalent
solutions” where an alternative means to the
prescriptive measure can still meet the safety
outcome.
11. The Fire Safety Section Development
• NMSC appoint a project leader and reference group.
• A discussion paper is distributed defining problems with
existing standard and examining fire casualties and
identifying causes.
• A draft standard is produced based on discussion paper
and responses and is finalised by reference group.
• A Regulatory Impact Statement is developed which
describes the impacts, benefits costs that the proposed
new standard will cause.
• The RIS and draft standard are distributed for general
consultation.
• The reference group will consider the comment and
propose a final draft of the standard.
• The standard must then be endorsed by the NMSC and
the ATC
• The standard then still means nothing until States adopt
it into legislation!
12. Benefits of this approach:
• New technologies / materials can easily be
accepted without changing the law.
• Novel craft and design features can be
used without changing the law.
• Stakeholders understand what the
standard is trying to achieve.
• The standard stays workable and flexible
for longer periods without review.
• The Standard makes realistic
requirements based on evidence received
during risk assessments.
13. Benefits of this approach
• It provides a prescriptive solution that provides
good guidance in most cases. This gives
comfort to designers, builders and regulators.
(Cheapest option also)
• It allows for innovation providing a product,
design or system can be rigorously proven to
meet the safety outcome. This is the more
expensive option and will only really be taken up
where prescriptive solutions cannot be used or
where large cost savings are derived from the
alternative approach.
14. SAFETY OUTCOMES OF FIRE SAFETY
STANDARD:
1. Prevention of explosive combustion
2. Control risks of spillage of flammable
liquids
3. Control risks of ignition by sources of
heat or sparks
4. Prevention of exposure to the smoke and
heat of fire
5. Prevent or delay the spread of fire
6. Protection of essential systems
7. Reliability of fire systems
15. Safety Outcome – eg Prevent or delay the spread of fire
Option 1 – Deemed to Option 2 – You don’t
satisfy solution like the deemed to
(prescriptive) satisfy solution , so you
Eg You shall have either a are free to devise and
Halon or CO2 fire rigorously prove an
extinguishing system alternative approach
that achieves the safety
Problem with USL Code – outcome.
Halon was banned and
only left CO2 systems. For example “Pyrogen”
These were inappropriate style fire systems are
for some vessels. being properly tested
Regulators ended up and will meet the
making ad-hoc / requirements of the
inconsistent decisions. standard in a structured
way
16. HOW IS RISK ACCOUNTED FOR?
Studies found fire risk (both probability and
consequence) related to:
1. The nature of the space on the vessel – engine
rooms and galleys have highest incidence of
fire. Larger engine rooms are a greater risk/
2. The nature of the vessel operation – tankers
and passenger carrying vessels have far
higher consequence if fire occurs.
3. Distance from Coast determines the level of
external support that can be relied upon.
Vessels operating further from the coast need
to have better fire safety.
17. Vessel Risk Categories
–Four fire risk categories are defined
as follows—
»Fire Risk Category I (lower risk)
»Fire Risk Category II (moderate
risk)
»Fire Risk Category III (higher risk)
»Fire Risk Category IV (highest
risk)
18. Class of vessel Class A Class B Class C Class D Class E
Unlimited Offshore Restricted Partially Smooth
domestic operations offshore smooth waters
operations operations waters
Class 1 length of vessel < 35 m <35 m All lengths All All
lengths lengths
Class 1: 13 to 36 day pax III II II I I
Class 1: 37 to 450 day pax III III II II II
Class 1: 451 & more day pax IV IV III III II
Class 1: 13 to 36 berthed pax III III II II II
Class 1: 37 & more berthed IV IV III III III
pax
Class 2—Length of vessel < 35 m All lengths All lengths All All
lengths lengths
Class 2 Fire risk category II II I I I
All lengths All lengths All lengths All All
Class 3—Length of vessel lengths lengths
Class 3 Fire risk category II II I I I
19. Risk categories of spaces on
vessels
1. High Risk
2. Moderate Risk
3. Accommodation Spaces
4. Minor Risk
5. Control Stations
6. Escape and Evacuation routes
Where doubt exists or compartment is multi use –
higher risk level applies
20. Space category Description
1. High Fire Risk Spaces • Spaces where, without
appropriate controls, the
likelihood and consequence
of fire are high.
• Typically within such spaces,
there is:
• potential for the spillage or
escape of potentially
dangerous quantities of
inflammable liquid or
explosive vapour, and
• the presence of one or more
sources of heat or other
sources of ignition.
Examples- Machinery spaces with IC engines, boiler spaces, carriage
dangerous goods, flammable goods. Limits are set on magnitude.
21. 2. Moderate Fire • Spaces that
Risk Spaces • contain potentially
dangerous quantities of
inflammable liquids but
where the sources of
ignition have relatively low
frequency, or
• contain heat sources or
other sources of ignition but
where the quantity or nature
of material within the space
to fuel a fire is such that the
risk is significantly reduced,
or
Examples – Low power machinery spaces, electrical
switchboard rooms, galleys, fuel pumping equipment etc
22. 3. Accommodation •Spaces that are likely to
Spaces contain persons who:
•are unfamiliar with the
vessel,
•may be asleep or
disoriented at the time of
an emergency, or
•may inadvertently or
deliberately initiate a fire
Examples – sleeping rooms, mess rooms, pantries, toilets, public rooms
23. Table 27 —Fire-fighter’s outfits for sea-going vessels
Fire risk Class A, B and C2 vessels
category Minimum Minimum
number of number of spare
outfits charges
I N/A N/A
II N/A N/A
III 31 31
IV 31 31
KEY:
1.Two sets are for the use of a rescue party. The third is
available for backup person should the rescue party get into
difficulties.
2.It is assumed that vessels operating in sheltered waters will
have ready access to shore-based fire fighting personnel, see
Part A of this standard for guidance on safety obligations and
Part E for emergency preparedness.
24. Table 7 — Structural Fire Protection
for Fire Risk Category I
High fire Moderate Accom- Minor Control Escape
Category risk fire risk modation fire risk Stations and
of space spaces spaces spaces spaces evacuati
on
routes.
1 2 3 4 5 6
30 ST ST ST ST
High fire STNF 301 30 1,3 301 301
2
risk 1 30 1, 2 30 1
spaces
Nil Nil Nil Nil
Moderate STNF Nil Nil Nil Nil
fire risk 2 STNF
spaces