9 Fire protection requirements
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC/Circular.608/Rev.1 – Interim Guidelines for Open-top Containerships – (Adopted on 5 July 1994) - Annex - Interim Guidelines for Open-Top Containerships - 9 Fire protection requirements

9 Fire protection requirements

  9.1 The fire protection system for open-top container holds shall be based on the philosophy of containing the fire in the bay of origin and to cool adjacent areas to prevent structural damage.

  9.2 Open-top container holds shall be protected by a fixed water spray system. The system shall be capable of spraying water into the cargo hold from deck level downward. The system shall be designed and arranged to take account of the specific hold and container configuration. If found necessary, the Administration may require a full-scale test.

  9.3 The water spray system should be able to effectively contain a fire in the container bay of origin. The spray system shall be subdivided, with each subdivision to consist of a ring-line at deck level in an open cargo hold around a container bay.

  9.4 The water spray system shall be capable of spraying the outer vertical boundaries of each container bay in an open cargo hold and of cooling the adjacent structure. The uniform application density should be not less than 1.1 litres/min/m2. At least one dedicated fire extinguishing pump for the hold water spray system with a capacity to serve all container bays in any one open-top container hold simultaneously shall be provided. The pump(s) shall be installed outside the open-top area. The availability of water to the water spray system shall be at least 50 per cent of the total capacity, with adequate spray patterns in the open-top container hold, and with any one dedicated pump inoperable. For the case of a single dedicated water spray pump this may be accomplished by an interconnection to an alternative source of water. The extinguishing system shall be supplemented by hose supply from the weather deck.

  9.5 Whenever a fire detection system is required in the open hold area, the fire detection system shall be designed and arranged to take account of the specific hold and container configuration and ventilation arrangement.

Parent topic: Annex - Interim Guidelines for Open-Top Containerships
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