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

Openings in “A” Class divisions

58.—(1) Where an “A” Class division is pierced for the passage of electric cables, pipes, trunks, girders, beams or for other purposes, the arrangements shall be such that the effectiveness of the division in resisting fire is not thereby impaired except as provided in paragraph (7).

(2) Where ventilation ducts pass through “A” Class divisions the requirements of regulation 60 shall apply.

(3) Except for hatches between special category spaces or ro-ro cargo spaces within a single horizontal zone, or hatches between cargo spaces or stores or baggage spaces, and hatches between such spaces and the weather decks, every opening shall be provided with permanently attached means of closing which shall be at least as effective for resisting fire as the division in which it is fitted.

(4) Every door and door frame in an “A” Class division shall be constructed of steel or other equivalent material and the means of securing the door when closed shall provide resistance to fire as well as to the passage of smoke and flame, as far as practicable, equivalent to that of the bulkhead in which the door is situated: provided that a watertight door shall not be required to be insulated.

(5) Any door in such a division shall be so constructed that it can be opened and closed by one person from either side of the division.

(6) In ships constructed before 1st October 1994 carrying more than 36 passengers—

(a) hinged fire doors in main vertical zone bulkheads and galley boundaries which are normally kept open shall be self-closing and be capable of release from a central control station and from a position at the door;

(b) all other fire doors in main vertical zone bulkheads and galley boundaries which are normally kept open shall be capable of release from a central control station and from a position at the door; and

(c) a panel shall be placed in a continuously manned central control station to indicate whether the fire doors in main vertical zone bulkheads and galley boundaries are closed.

(7) In the case of a ship constructed before 1st October 1994, every door in a division constructed in compliance with regulation 54(1) or 57(1) except a watertight door or one which is normally locked shut, shall be self-closing and capable of closing against an adverse inclination of up to 3.5 degrees. The speed of door closure shall be controlled so as to prevent undue danger to personnel. All such doors which are held in the open position shall be capable of release from a control station, either simultaneously or in groups, and also individually from a position at the door. The release mechanism shall be so designed that the door will automatically close in the event of disruption of the control system; except that this requirement shall not apply to a watertight door. Hold-back hooks, not subject to control station release, are not permitted.

(8) In the case of a ship constructed on or after 1st October 1994, every door in a division constructed in compliance with regulations 54(1) or 57(1), shall satisfy the following requirements—

(a) it shall be self-closing and be capable of closing against an adverse inclination of up to 3.5 degrees at an approximately uniform rate of not more than 40 seconds and no less than 10 seconds with the ship in the upright position;

(b) remote-controlled sliding or power-operated doors shall be equipped with an alarm that sounds at least 5 seconds but no more than 10 seconds before the door begins to move and continues sounding until the door is completely closed. A door designed to re-open upon contacting an object in its path shall re-open sufficiently to allow a clear passage of at least 0.75 metres but not more than 1 metre;

(c) all doors shall be capable of remote and automatic release from a continuously manned central control station, either simultaneously or in groups, and also individually from a position at both sides of the door;

(d) a panel shall be placed in the continuously manned central control station to indicate whether each of the remote-controlled doors are closed;

(e) the release mechanism shall be so designed that the door will automatically close in the event of disruption of the control system or central power supply;

(f) release switches shall have on-off function to prevent automatic resetting of the system;

(g) hold-back hooks not subject to central control station release are prohibited;

(h) local power accumulators for power-operated doors shall be provided in the immediate vicinity of the doors to enable the doors to be operated at least 10 times (fully opened and closed) using the local controls;

(i) double-leaf doors equipped with a latch necessary to their fire integrity shall have a latch that is automatically activated by the operation of the doors when released by the system;

(j) doors giving direct access to special category spaces which are power-operated and automatically closed need not be equipped with the alarms and remote-release mechanisms specified in sub-paragraph (b).

(9) In ships carrying not more than 36 passengers and in ships carrying more than 36 passengers constructed before 1st October 1994, where a space is protected by an automatic sprinkler, fire detection and fire alarm system complying with the provisions of Schedule 1 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1666 or fitted with a continuous “B” Class ceiling, the closing of openings in decks not forming steps in main vertical zones or bounding horizontal zones shall be reasonably tight and such decks shall meet the “A” Class integrity requirements in so far as is reasonable and practicable.

(10) The requirements for “A” Class integrity of the outer boundaries of a ship shall not apply to glass partitions, windows and sidescuttles, subject to the requirements of regulation 61 provided that, in the case of ships constructed on or after 1st October 1994 there is no requirement for such boundaries to have “A” Class integrity in regulation 61(3). The requirements for “A” Class integrity shall not apply to exterior doors in superstructures and deckhouses, except that doors opening on to lifeboat and liferaft handling and embarkation areas shall be of such construction as to protect these areas from a space having a potential fire hazard,

(11) In the case of a ship constructed on or after 1st October 1994 all “A” Class doors located in stairways, public spaces and main vertical zone bulkheads in escape routes shall be equipped with a self-closing hose port of material, construction and fire resistance which is equivalent to the door in which it is fitted, and which shall furnish a 150 mm square clear opening with the port open and door closed, and shall be inset into the lower edge of the door opposite the door hinges or, in the case of sliding doors, nearest the opening.