1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its eighty-first
session (10 to 19 May 2006), having approved draft amendments to SOLAS chapter II-2 related to the safety of cabin
balconies in response to the fire on board the Star Princess,
instructed the Sub-Committee on Fire Protection to consider the safety
of all external areas on passenger ships.
2 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its eighty-fourth
session (7 to 16 May 2008), having considered the draft Guidelines
for evaluation of fire risk of external areas on passenger ships prepared
by the Sub-Committee on Fire Protection at its fifty-second session
(14 to 18 January 2008), approved the Guidelines for evaluation of
fire risk of external areas on passenger ships, set out in the annex.
3 The annexed Guidelines consist of two parts:
4 The annexed Guidelines are not intended to apply
to external areas where cargoes and/or vehicles are stored.
5 Member Governments are invited to bring the
annexed Guidelines to the attention of all Parties concerned and,
in particular, recommend that such Parties:
-
.1 use part 1 of
the annexed Guidelines at the early stage of design of new passenger
ships when determining the fire risk of external areas;
-
.2 conduct fire risk assessments in accordance
with part 2 of the annexed
Guidelines whenever an external area on existing passenger ships is
subject to change of use; and
-
.3 document fire risk assessments when conducted
in accordance with part 2 of
the annexed Guidelines within the Shipboard Safety Management System.