1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its sixty-fourth
session (5 to 9 December 1994), recognizing the urgent necessity of
providing guidelines for alternative arrangements for halon fire-extinguishing
systems, approved guidelines for the approval of equivalent water-based
fire-extinguishing systems as referred to in SOLAS 74 for machinery
spaces and cargo pump-rooms as MSC/Circular.668.
2 The Sub-Committee on Fire Protection, at its
fortieth session (17 to 21 July 1995), reviewed the interim test method
for equivalent water-based fire-extinguishing systems contained in MSC/Circular.668, and prepared amendments
to the interim test method.
3 The Committee, at its sixty-sixth session (28
May to 6 June 1996), approved the amendments prepared by the FP Sub-Committee
as contained in the annex.
4 Member Governments are invited to apply the
guidelines contained in MSC/Circular.668 as
amended by this circular.