(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) Every year, PSC regimes determine a specific focus area during regular inspections. This year’s Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC), running from 1 September to 30 November, will be carried out on the topic of fire safety.

This year, the Paris and Tokyo MoUs agreed to run a CIC on the topic of fire safety. The majority of PSC MoUs have confirmed their participation in this year’s CIC.

The CIC will be carried out between 1 September and 30 November and will be covered by an additional questionnaire (available for download below) during routine port state inspections.

Traditionally, deficiencies in the fire safety section are among the most common of all detainable deficiencies:

• • Fire dampers
  • Fire doors/openings in fire-resisting divisions
  • Fire detection systems
  • Fixed fire-extinguishing installations
  • Means of control (opening, pumps) in machinery spaces
  • Evaluation of crew performance (fire drills)

You will find a graph showing the ratio between detainable and non-detainable deficiencies regarding fire safety during port state control inspections, from the Paris MoU:

The results of the campaign will be analysed and findings will be presented to the governing bodies of both MoUs for submission to the IMO.

Recommendations

Owners/managers should make sure their crews are informed about the planned CIC and which items are expected to be important. Special attention should be paid to these items during maintenance, to ensure a proper condition of the vessel.

As deficiencies in fire safety can often be traced to shortcomings in the implementation of the Safety Management System (SMS), the efficient use of the SMS should be emphasized.

Click below to download the relevant checklist:

Source: ParisMoU

For more resources and Guidance regarding Fire Safety onboard, click HERE

... and also HERE