Marine Orders Part 15: Construction Fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction, Issue 4 (Amendment) (Order No. 6 of 2004) (Cth)

MARINE ORDERS

Part 15

Construction—
Fire protection, fire detection
 and fire extinction

Issue 4
(Amendment)

Order No. 6 of 2004

Pursuant to subsection 425(1AA) of the Navigation Act 1912, I hereby make this Order amending Marine Orders Part 15, Issue 4 by omitting pages (i), 1, 2, 11, 12 and 17 to 20, and substituting the attached pages (i), 1, 2, 11, 12, to come into operation on 1 July 2004.

   Clive Davidson

   Chief Executive Officer

  8 June 2004

Table of Contents

1        Purpose & power

2        Definitions of words and phrases used in this Part

3        Interpretation

4        Application

5        Exemptions and equivalents

6        Review of decisions

7        Requirements

Appendix 1  Breathing apparatus

Appendix 2  Fire extinguishers

Appendix 3  Miscellaneous additional requirements and interpretations

Previous issues

Issue 1, Order No 24 of 1983
—Amended by Order No 8 of 1986
Issue 2, Order No 2 of 1994
—Amended by Order No 14 of 1994
Issue 3, Order No 17 of 1998
Issue 4, Order No 8 of 2002

1  Purpose & power

1.1  Purpose

This Part of Marine Orders gives effect to Chapter II-2 of SOLAS and prescribes standards to be met concerning fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction for SOLAS ships and non-SOLAS ships.

1.2  Power

1.2.1 Section 191 of the Navigation Act 1912 provides for regulations to make provision for or in relation to giving effect to SOLAS.  Paragraph 215(1)(b) of that Act provides that the regulations may make provision for or in relation to the prevention, detection and extinction of fire on ships.

1.2.2 Subsection 425(1AA) of the Navigation Act 1912 provides that AMSA may make orders with respect to any matter for or in relation to which provision may be made by regulation.

2  Definitions of words and phrases used in this Part

AMSA means the Australian Maritime Safety Authority established by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990;

Chief Marine Surveyor means the person occupying the position of Manager, Ship Inspections, in AMSA or, in respect of any particular purpose under this Part, a suitably qualified person authorised by the Manager, Ship Inspections, for that purpose;

Fire Safety Systems Code means the International Code on Fire Safety Systems as adopted by IMO Resolution MSC.98(73);

General Manager means the person occupying the position of General Manager, Maritime Operations, in AMSA;

IMO means the International Maritime Organization;

SOLAS means the Safety Convention as defined in the Navigation Act 1912[1];

[1]     The current text of Chapter II-2 of SOLAS is set out in IMO Resolution MSC.99(73), as amended with effect from 1 July 2004 by IMO Resolution MSC.134(76).

SOLAS ship means:

(a)  a ship to which SOLAS applies as set out in Regulations 1 and 3 of Chapter I of SOLAS; or

(b) an Australian registered ship to which SOLAS would apply if that ship were to undertake an international voyage as defined in the Navigation Act 1912;

survey authority means a survey authority approved for the purposes of the Navigation Act 1912;[2]

[2]     The following survey authorities are approved: American Bureau of Shipping; Bureau Veritas; Det Norske Veritas; Germanischer Lloyd; Lloyd's Register of Shipping; and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai.

surveyor means a person appointed to be a surveyor under s.190 of the Navigation Act 1912;

USL Code means the Uniform Shipping Laws Code referred to in section 427 of the Navigation Act 1912.

3  Interpretation

3.1  In this Part, a reference to the date on which a ship was constructed means the date on which not less than 50 tonnes or one per cent of the proposed total mass of the structural material of the ship, whichever is the less, has been assembled.

3.2  A reference in Chapter II-2 of SOLAS to the Administration is to be read, in relation to an Australian registered ship, as a reference to the Chief Marine Surveyor, and a power, function or discretion exercisable by the Administration is exercisable by the Chief Marine Surveyor.[3]

[3]     Chapter II-2 of SOLAS refers to a number of Resolutions, Circulars etc of relevance in giving effect to the Regulations.  These are obtainable from AMSA.

3.3  In this Part:

(a)headings and subheadings are part of the Part;

(b) each Appendix is part of the Part;

(c) a footnote is not part of the Part, but may provide additional information or guidance in applying the Part.

4  Application

4.1  This Part applies to and in relation to:

(a)a ship registered in Australia; and

(b) a ship registered in a country other than Australia, that is in the territorial sea of Australia or in waters on the landward side of the territorial sea.

3.3  An extinguisher must be constructed of suitable materials and must be of an efficient design and of sufficient strength to safely withstand the maximum internal pressure to which it may be subjected and must be capable of withstanding a test by hydraulic pressure suitably in excess of the maximum working pressure.  For the purpose of this Appendix, the maximum working pressure is the pressure within the body at 70°C when the extinguisher is correctly charged.

3.4  An extinguisher must be provided with a nozzle and a reinforced discharge hose constructed to withstand four times the maximum working pressure specified in 3.3.

3.5  Any necessary openings in an extinguisher body must be fitted with caps or covers so designed that any pressure remaining in the container may be released gradually before the cap or cover can be removed completely.

3.6  Every part of an extinguisher must, where necessary, be protected against corrosion.

3.7  An extinguisher must be effectively sealed to prevent the ingress of moisture, but those sealing arrangements must not interfere with the discharge of the extinguisher.

3.8  An extinguisher must be provided with a controllable device to enable the discharge to be interrupted.

3.9  An extinguisher actuating mechanism must be protected so that it is safeguarded against inadvertent operation.

3.10  A fully charged extinguisher must, when operated under normal conditions, be capable of discharging not less than 85 per cent of the mass of dry powder charge. The discharge rate must be not less than 1 kilogram per second.

3.11  The outside of an extinguisher body must be clearly and permanently marked with a statement setting out:

(a)  the name of the maker or vendor to the extinguisher;

(b) the capacity of the extinguisher;

(c) the pressure to which the extinguisher was tested;

(d) instructions for operating the extinguisher;

(e)  the year in which the extinguisher was manufactured;  and

(f)  a colour code in accordance with Australian Standard AS 1841, or other standard acceptable to the Chief Marine Surveyor, indicating the extinguishing medium.

4  Portable fire extinguishers

4.1  Portable fire extinguishers provided for use in a ship must so far as practicable have a uniform method of operation.  When a ship is to be provided with a replacement or an additional extinguisher, the extinguisher must have a method of operation similar to the extinguishers already on aboard and, if practicable, must be of the same manufacture.

4.2  Portable fire extinguishers must:

(a)  be designed, manufactured, tested and marked in accordance with the relevant Australian Standard, and must be entitled to bear and must so bear the registered certification of the Standards Association of Australia; or

(b) be acceptable to the Chief Marine Surveyor.

4.3  Where portable dry powder fire extinguishers are provided in accommodation and service spaces or in machinery spaces, they should be of the type in which a mixture of dry powder and the expellant is stored under pressure and their number must not exceed one half of the total number of extinguishers provided in either of those spaces.

4.4  A spare charge must be provided for every portable fire extinguisher provided in compliance with this Part.  However, for each of those fire extinguishers that is of a type that cannot be recharged while the ship is at sea, an additional portable fire extinguisher of the same type, or its equivalent, must be provided in place of a spare charge.  Such additional fire extinguishers must be kept in an easily accessible storeroom, not likely to be cut off in the event of a fire, until such time as replacement is necessary.  While a portable fire extinguisher provided in excess of the provisions of this Part will not require a spare charge or spare extinguisher, that additional extinguisher must be maintained in a condition similar to that required for a portable fire extinguisher that is required by this Part.

4.5  Portable fire extinguishers must be serviced, inspected, pressure tested, recharged and maintained in accordance with Australian Standards AS 1851.1 and 3676, except that a servicing period of five years is to be substituted for any servicing period of six years, or three years for extinguishers located in aggressive environments, specified in one of those standards.⁸[4]

On a cargo ship, servicing should preferably be arranged to coincide with the renewal of the Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate.  The three year service should be arranged to occur either two or three years before expiry of the Certificate.

4.6  Extinguishers must be located in conspicuous, accessible positions and be well distributed, taking into account positions of greater fire hazard within any one space.  They must be located within the space they are intended to service, one extinguisher being near an entrance to the space.  Where, by virtue of the size of the space, its position relative to other spaces, its configuration or the layout of equipment within it, a surveyor considers that a fire may best be fought from a position outside the space, the