The Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection: Large Ships) Regulations 1998

PART IX SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SHIPS CARRYING DANGEROUS GOODS

Ships carrying explosives

102.—(1) Where any ship (other than a passenger ship) carries explosives of such nature and of such quantity as are not permitted to be carried in a passenger ship by regulation 16(1) of the Merchant Shipping (Dangerous Goods and Marine Pollutants) Regulations 1997, such explosives shall not be carried in any compartment fitted with steam fire smothering arrangements. There shall be provided in any compartment containing such explosives and in every adjacent compartment, a smoke detection system, or a fire detection system capable of automatically indicating the presence or indication of fire and its location. The indicators shall be centralised either on the navigating bridge or at other control stations provided with direct communication with the navigating bridge, provided that the Secretary of State may in any ship permit the indicators to be distributed among several stations if he is satisfied that such arrangements are at least as effective as centralised indicators.

(2) For the purposes of this regulation “compartment” means all spaces contained between two adjacent permanent bulkheads and includes the lower hold and all cargo spaces above it. The whole of any shelter deck space not sub-divided by steel bulkheads the openings in which can be closed by steel closing plates shall, for the purpose of this regulation, be considered as a single space. Where steel bulkheads with openings closed by steel closing plates are fitted, the enclosed spaces in the shelter deck shall be considered as part of the compartment or compartments below.

Ships carrying dangerous goods

103.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), ships constructed on or after 1st September 1984 of the following descriptions that is to say—

(a) passenger ships ; and

(b) cargo ships of 500 tons or over; which are intended,

or which contain cargo spaces which are intended, for the carriage of dangerous goods on international voyages, shall comply with the protective requirements prescribed in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1669.

(2) This regulation shall not apply to ships intended for the carriage of dangerous goods in limited quantities as referred to in section 18 of the general introduction to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code.

(3) Nothing in this regulation shall be taken to require duplication of anything already provided in a ship in compliance with other requirements of these Regulations.