The Merchant Shipping (Crew Accommodation) Regulations 1997

Cold store rooms and refrigerating equipment

31.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2)—

(a) in every foreign going ship of 1,000 tons or over, cold store rooms shall be provided for the storage of perishable provisions;

(b) in every foreign going ship of under 1,000 tons and in every home trade ship, there shall be provided for the storage of perishable provisions for the crew either cold store rooms or adequate alternative cold storage facilities.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to ships in which each member of the crew provides his own food.

(3) Cold store rooms or other facilities provided shall be so constructed as to enable them to be effectively cleaned and shall be adequate in size having regard to the number of persons in the crew and the period likely to elapse between successive replenishment of stores.

(4) Access to every cold store room shall be from a passageway, galley or pantry or from another cold store room.

(5) (a) Every cold store room shall be served by refrigerating machinery.

(b) The space in which that machinery is situated shall be separated from all other parts of the crew accommodation by bulkheads complying with the requirements of regulation 6; it shall be adequately ventilated.

(c) Access to that space shall, where practicable, be by means of a hinged door from an open deck.

(d) If the said door opens into any part of the crew accommodation, the door shall be of steel, gastight and self-closing.

(6) The refrigerating equipment shall be capable of maintaining a maximum temperature suitable to the use to which the cold store is put.

(7) A red warning light outside every cold store room or group of cold store rooms shall be included in the lighting circuit of each such room or groups of rooms. Every cold store room shall be fitted with an internal means of sounding an external alarm and with a means of releasing the door fastenings from the inside.

(8) Refrigerating machinery making use of ammonia or methyl chloride as refrigerant shall not be installed.