4. Chapter 2 - INTRODUCTION
- Generally come into force on 1 July 2002.
- Implemented by means of the Merchant Shipping Regulation in 2003.
- The main objective is to help shipowner, masters and crew to understand
and comply with fire safety and regulation.
- Applicable to ships constructed on or after 1 July 2002.
- The rule can be applied to merchant ship such as cargo ships, tanker, ship
carry dangerous good and passenger.
6. Generally, fire protection is the study and practice of minimizing the
unwanted effects of potentially destructive fires.
Purpose of fire protection* is to:
● To protect the ship and life at sea from fire.
● To prevent any loss and damages caused by fire at sea.
How to protect the ship and life at sea from fire according to SOLAS?
- Prevention of starting any fire.
- Protection incase of fire started.
- Regular maintenance and exercise.
*in regards to SOLAS
7. The first act on protection will be prevention. To prevent such accident
caused by fire, a number of regulations have been introduced.
1. Separation of accommodation spaces from the remainder of the
ship by thermal and structural boundaries
8. Accident can always happen. To protect properties (ship and cargoes)
and life from fire, a number of regulations were introduced.
1. Protection of the means of escape or of access for firefighting
purposes.
9. To ensure that we are well prepared for both scenarios, whether in
preventing such accident from happening and when it does happen, we
need to do a regular maintenance and exercise.
1. Maintenance, testing and inspection
11. 1. The main purpose of fire detection :
● To detect the source and origin of
the fire
● Provide alarm for escape
● Early fire-fighting activity.
2. Fixed fire detection and fire alarm
should be installed in place where the
potential of fire growth and the
generation of smoke and gases.
3. All type of fire detection and alarm
must be approved type and comply
with the Fire Safety Systems Code.
4. The fixed fire detection and fire alarm
systems shall be periodically tested.
12. The installation of fire detection and alarm system
1. Accommodation space ● Installed in all stairways, corridors and
escape routes within accommodation space.
2. Passenger shipcarry
<36 passengers.
● Installed in service spaces, control stations,
cargo space and accommodation spaces.
3. Passenger ships carry
>36 passengers
● Installed throughout each separate zone,
whether vertical or horizontal, in all
accommodation, cargo space and service
spaces
● Installed in place where it is considered
necessary by the Administration
4. Protection of atriums in
passenger ships
● The entire main vertical zone containing the
atrium installed with a smoke detection
system.
5. Cargo ships ● Installed at the accommodation, service
spaces and control stations.
14. Fire extinction happen onboard ships when
the unwanted fire is exists.
Purpose of fire extinction is to:
● Putting the fire out/stop the fire from
spreading.
● Extinguish the unwanted fire at ship.
● Reduce damage by fire to cargo,
environment and another part of ship.
How to extinct the fire according to SOLAS?
- Containment and extinction of any fire
- Fire-fighting appliances
1. Water supply system
2. Fire extinguisher
15. How to extinct fire on-board ship according to SOLAS?
1. Containment and extinction of any fire
- Happened at the space of origin (where the fire start to
ignite).
For cargo ship - the usage of thermal insulation
boundaries to reduce the fire risk at
cargo space.
Passenger ship
carry <36
passengers,
- the ship must subdivided into the
main vertical zone by watertight
bulkhead.All doors and frame should
be made from non-combustible
material.
Cargo ship - bulkhead must be extend from deck to
deck.
Tankers - bulkheads only use to separate
wheelhouse, chartroom and radio
room.
16. 2. Fire-fighting appliances
- Purpose is to extinguish the fire at the place at
origin.
- Must readily available
2.1 Water supply system
Passenger ships Cargo ships
Fire main and
hydrant
For ships <1000 gross tonnage, at least
one jet of water is immediately
available from any hydrant in any
interior location.
For ship >1000 gross tonnage, at least
one fire pump available.
Must have one main fire pumps with
remote starting from the
navigating bridge and fire control
station.
Fire hozzes
and nozzles
At least one fire hose for each of the
hydrants - only purpose to
extinguishing the fire
For ships <1000 gross tonnage, the
number of fire hoses to be provided
shall be one for each 30m length of the
ship and one spare.
17. 2.2 Fire extinguisher
Fire extinguishing
arrangement
Description
Machinery spaces In machinery space that contain steam turbine
or oil boiler, the fire-extinguishing systems
must be provided at least one.
Control stations,
accommodation
and service
spaces
Sprinkler system
- For passenger ships <36 passenger and
cargo ships,it must be equipped with
automatic sprinkler to extinct fire.
Cargo spaces Cargo spaces on cargo ships <2000 gross
tonnage shall be protected by a fixed carbon
dioxide or inert gas fire-extinguishing system
complying with the provisions of the Fire Safety
Systems Code.
18. Conclusion
❖ Fire protection, detection and extinction is very important to minimize the number of accident
cause by fire on board ships.
❖ By implementing this regulation under SOLAS, all shipowner and the crew of merchant ship
can understand and comply with fire safety and regulation.
19. Reference
❖ International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974. Retrieved from
http://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/ListOfConventions/Pages/International-Conventi
on-for-the-Safety-of-Life-at-Sea-%28SOLAS%29%2c-1974.aspx
❖ IMO. (2009). SOLAS: Consolidated Text of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at
Sea, 1974, and Its Protocol of 1988 Articles, Annexes and ... All Amendments in Effect from 1
July 2009. London, England: IMO.
