Plan Approval And Inspection Requirements Under the Vessel Fire Safety Regulations

From: Transport Canada

Transport Publication - TP 13585 E

Effective Date Date of Revision
February 03, 2017  
   
   
   
 

1. Policy Objective

  1. 1.1. This policy sets out the requirements for plan approval and inspections of vessels subject to the Vessel Fire Safety Regulations (VFSR) under the authority of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001(CSA 2001).

2. Policy Statement

  1. 2.1. Annex 1 of this policy lists the plans and particulars that vessel owners or their Authorized Representatives (AR) must submit to Transport Canada Marine Safety and Security (TCMSS) for approval.
  2. 2.2. Annex 2 of this Policy lists the items that inspectors must inspect during specific types of inspection.

3. Scope

  1. 3.1. This policy applies to Canadian vessels subject to the VFSR.

4. Authority

  1. 4.1. This policy is made under the authority of the Marine Safety and Security Executive, according to the objectives of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, Sections 16 & 211.

5. Responsibility/ further information

  1. 5.1. The Executive Director, Domestic Vessel Regulatory Oversight is accountable for the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of this policy.
  2. 5.2. The manager, Flag State, Compliance & Enforcement (AMSDF), is the OPI for this policy.
  3. 5.3. The Regional Directors, Marine Safety and Security, are responsible for the implementation of this policy.

  4. 5.4. Please address your comments or questions about this policy and its application to:

    Executive Director, Domestic Regulatory Oversight
    330 Sparks Street (AMSD)
    Ottawa ON
    K1A 0N8
    Fax: 613-991-4818
    insp.stand-norm.insp@tc.gc.ca

6. Related Documents

  1. 6.1. Vessel Fire Safety Regulations (VFSR)

    http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2017-14/page-16.html#h-148

  2. 6.2. Ship Safety Bulletin #04/17 “Coming into force of the new Vessel Fire Safety Regulations”

    http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/bulletins-2017-04-eng.htm

  3. 6.3. Harmonised System of Survey and Certification (HSSC)

    http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/MSAS/Documents/A%2029-J-60%20-%20RES.1104%20%28E%29.pdf [PDF 1.14 MB]

7. Background

  1. 7.1. The Vessel Fire Safety Regulations (VFSR) are part of TCMSS project to update the Canadian regulatory regime by providing modern, performance-based regulations that align with international regulatory instruments and standards.
  2. 7.2. The VFSR do not include requirements for plans and particulars to be submitted for approval or for inspections to verify compliance with the VFSR. This policy adopts the international Harmonised System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), to the extent possible, exercising power under the CSA 2001, Section 211.
  3. 7.3. Part 1 of the CSA 2001, Sections 16(1) & 16(2)(a) state that an application for a Canadian Maritime Document (CMD) must be made in the form and manner, include the information and be accompanied by the documents specified by the Minister. These documents could include plans, particulars and arrangements.
  4. 7.4. Part 1 of the CSA 2001, Section 16 (2)(c) states that before Transport Canada will issue a CMD to a vessel, the vessel must undergo any inspection the Minister considers necessary to establish it meets CMD requirements.  (This policy includes details of fire safety inspections.)
  5. 7.5. For vessels subject to VFSR Part 1 & 2, the inspections must follow Annex 1 of the HSSC, Resolution A.1104 (29) as may be amended from time to time, as set out in Annex 2 of this policy. For vessels subject to VFSR Part 3, no changes to the extent of inspections set out in Annex 2 of this policy.

8. Date of Application

  1. 8.1. This policy comes into force on February 3, 2017.
  2. 8.2. TCMSS will review this policy after 12 months, and thereafter; not more than 5 years from the date of its last review.

9. RDIMS Reference

  1. 9.1. The English version of this document is saved in RDIMS under 12379814. The applied naming convention is Publication – TP 13585 – Policy on Plan Approval and Inspection for Vessel Fire Safety Requirements.
  2. 9.2. La version française du présent document est dans le SGDDI et porte le numéro de référence (13329607). La règle d’affectation des noms est (Publication – TP 13585 – Politique – Exigences relatives à l’approbation des plans et aux inspections aux termes du règlement sur la sécurité contre l’incendie des bâtiments).
  3. 9.3. This is the first approved and finalized revision of the English version of this document.

Keywords

  • Plan Approval
  • Inspection
  • HSSC
  • SOLAS Chapter II-2
  • Structural fire protection
  • Fire safety systems
  • Fire Safety Equipment

Annex 1 – Plans and Particulars for Approval

Annex 1 below lists the plans and particulars that vessel owners or ARs must submit to TCMSS for approval.

I. Part 1 and 2 vessels

  1. The plans and data to submit for approval are:
    1. Plans of the structural fire protection arrangements including:
      • division of the vessel into main vertical and horizontal zones by thermal and structural boundaries,
      • fire integrity of the divisions,
      • protection of stairways and lifts, windows , side scuttles, and
      • the details of materials used in construction including the use of combustible materials;
    2. Plans and details of the ventilation systems indicating the materials of construction, position and type of ventilation fans and dampers and their control system;
    3. Plans of the water firefighting systems including fire mains, hydrants, hoses, nozzles and details of fire pumps and their positions;
    4. Plans of fixed fire detection and alarm systems including manual fire alarms;
    5. Plans and details of fixed fire extinguishing systems;
    6. Particulars and arrangement of the portable fire extinguishers and additional fire-extinguishing arrangements;
    7. Plans of fire doors indicating their type, position, rating and control system;
    8. Plans and particulars of the automatic sprinkler systems, including details and position of pumps;
    9. Documentation for the alternative design and arrangements ;
    10. Plans of the helicopter facilities;
    11. Plans of the special arrangements, when the vessel is a combination carrier;
    12. Plans of the special arrangements for the carriage of dangerous goods; and
    13. Plans of the fire protection arrangements in vehicle, special category and ro-ro spaces.
  2. Fire protection arrangements and appliances plans must indicate that all fire protection systems and appliances comply with Part 1 and 2 of the VFSR as appropriate.
  3. The vessel owner or AR must revise any of the above listed plans to reflect alterations and modifications that are subject of the VFSR and submit them to TCMSS for approval.
  4. The vessel owner or AR must submit the fire control plan and the TC marine safety inspector will verify its contents for accuracy during the first inspection.

II. Part 3 vessels

  1. The vessel owner or AR must submit the following plans and data to TCMSS for approval:
    1. Plans of the structural fire protection arrangements, including details of construction materials, insulation and finishes;
    2. Plans of the ventilation systems including details of the materials of construction, position and type of dampers, sizes of inlet and exhaust ducts and capacity of any mechanical blower;
    3. Plans of the water firefighting systems including fire mains, hydrants, hoses, nozzles and details of fire pumps and their positions;
    4. Plans of the automatic fire detection and alarm systems, including details of their operation, maintenance and testing procedures, types and locations of smoke and heat detectors, and, if fitted, the public address system;
    5. Plans and details of the fixed fire extinguishing system, including details of the type and quantity of extinguishing medium and the volume of the space to be protected; and
    6. Plans of the portable firefighting equipment arrangement, including details of the quantity, type and locations of fire extinguishers, and other firefighting appliances.
  2. Fire protection arrangements and appliance plans must indicate that all fire protection systems and appliances comply with Part 3 of the VFSR.
  3. The vessel owner or AR must revise any of the above listed plans to reflect alterations and modifications that are subject of the VFSRand submit them to TCMSS for approval.
  4. The vessel owner or AR must submit the fire control plan and the TC marine safety inspector will verify its contents during the first inspection.

Annex 2 - Inspectable Items

  1. Annex 2 below lists the items that inspectors must inspect during specific types of inspection.
  2. For the purpose of this Annex, the following guidance indicates the type of inspections defined in HSSC as equivalent to type of inspections defined in Canadian regulations.

  3. There are two letters in brackets on the left-hand side of each item to inspect.

    The first letter indicates the certificate to which the inspection relates, as follows:

    First letter SOLAS vessels certificate to which the inspection relates Domestic vessel certificate to which the inspection relates
    (E) Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate Inspection certificateFootnote 1
    (C) Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate Inspection certificate
    (P) Passenger Ship Safety Certificate Inspection Certificate Passenger vesselFootnote 2

    The second letter indicates the type of inspection, as follows:

    Second letter Type of inspection as defined in HSSC Type of inspection as defined in Canadian regulatory regime Type of vessel
    (I) Initial First Cargo & Passenger
    (A) Annual Annual Cargo
    (P) Periodical The 2nd or 3rd Annual Cargo
    (R) Renewal Quadrennial or Quinquennial Cargo
    (R) Renewal Periodical Annual Passenger

    For example:

    • "(EI)" indicates the initial inspection for the “Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate”
    • “(CA) indicates the annual inspection for the “cargo ship safety construction certificate”
    • “(PR)” indicates the Renewal inspection for the “inspection certificate passenger vessel”

I. Part 1 and Part 2 vessels

The inspections of vessels subject to Part 1 and Part 2 as defined in the VFSR, must include the following requirements of Annex 1 of the HSSC, Resolution A.1104 (29).

Tables 1 to 6 of this policy list the inspectable item requirements of the HSSC for each inspection category.

Note: Tables 1 to 4 apply to Cargo (Non-passenger) vessels; Tables 5 and 6 apply to Passenger vessels.

1. Cargo (Non-passenger) vessels

  1. 1.1 Initial (First) Inspection requirements

    Table (1) 1. Cargo (Non-passenger) vessels
      1.1 Initial (First) Inspection
    (EI) 1.1.1 - 1.1.1.11,
    1.1.1.13 - 1.1.1.14,
    1.1.1.16,
    1.1.1.21    		 Examination of plans and designs of cargo vessels
    (EI) 1.1.2 Additional examination of plans and designs for Oil Tankers
    (EI) 1.1.3.1 - 1.1.3.13,
    1.1.3.24    		 Inspections during construction and after installation
    (EI) 1.1.4 Additional inspection requirements for Oil Tankers during construction and after installation
    (EI) 1.1.5.1 – 1.1.5.5 Documentation required to be placed on board
    (EI) 1.1.6 Additional documentation required to be placed on board for Oil Tankers
    (CI) 2.1.1.7 – 2.1.1.12,
    2.1.1.14,
    2.1.1.26    		 Examination of plans and designs of cargo vessels
    (CI) 2.1.2.3,
    2.1.2.4    		 Additional requirements for Oil Tankers examination of plans and designs
    (CI) 2.1.3.8.1,
    2.1.3.10,
    2.1.3.46 – 2.1.3.49,
    2.1.3.55 – 2.1.3.61    		 Inspections during construction and after installation
    (CI) 2.1.4.4 – 2.1.4.6 Additional inspection requirements for Oil Tankers, Chemical Tankers and Gas carriers during construction and after installation
    (CI) 2.1.6.11 Documentation required to be placed on board

  2. 1.2 Annual Inspection requirements

    Table (2) 1. Cargo (Non-passenger) vessels
      1.2 Annual Inspection
    (EA) 1.2.1.16 – 1.2.1.22,
    1.2.1.24    		 Examination of current certificates and other records
    (EA) 1.2.2.1 – 1.2.2.11,
    1.2.2.13 – 1.2.2.15,
    1.2.2.28    		 Inspection of equipment
    (EA) 1.2.3.1 – 1.2.3.7,
    1.2.3.9    		 Additional Inspection of equipment required for Oil Tankers
    (CA) 2.2.1.16,
    2.2.1.17    		 Examination of current certificates and other records
    (CA) 2.2.2.8.1,
    2.2.2.9,
    2.2.2.26 – 2.2.2.29    		 Inspection of equipment
    (CA) 2.2.3.3 – 2.2.2.3.5,
    2.2.3.8,
    2.2.3.11    		 Additional Inspection of equipment required for Oil Tankers

  3. 1.3 Periodical InspectionFootnote 3requirements

    Table (3) 1. Cargo (Non-passenger) vessels
    (EP) 1.3 Periodical Inspection
    (EP) 1.3.1.1 Examination of current certificates and other records as required by:
    (EA) 1.2.1.16 – 1.2.1.22,
    (EA) 1.2.1.24
    (EP) 1.3.2.1 Inspection of equipment as required by:
    (EA) 1.2.2.1 – 1.2.2.11,
    (EA) 1.2.2.13 – 1.2.2.15,
    (EA) 1.2.2.28
    (EP) 1.3.2.2 – 1.3.2.8 Inspection and Testing of equipment
    (EP) 1.3.3.1 Additional Inspection of equipment required for Oil Tankers as required by:
    (EA) 1.2.3.1 – 1.2.3.7,
    (EA) 1.2.3.9
    (EP) 1.3.3.2 Additional Inspection of equipment required for Oil Tankers

  4. 1.4 Renewal InspectionFootnote 4requirements

    Table (4) 1. Cargo (Non-passenger) vessels
    (ER) 1.4 Renewal Inspection
    (ER) 1.4.1.1 Examination of current certificates and other records as required by:
    (EA) 1.2.1.16 – 1.2.1.22,
    (EA) 1.2.1.24
    (ER) 1.4.2.1 Inspection and Testing of equipment as required by:
    (EP) 1.3.2.2 – 1.3.2.8
    (ER) 1.4.3.1 Additional Inspection of equipment required for Oil Tankers as required by:
    (EP) 1.3.3.2
    (ER) 1.4.3.2 Additional Inspection of equipment required for Oil Tankers

2. Passenger Vessels

  1. 2.1 Initial (First) Inspection requirements

    Table (5) 2. Passenger Vessels
      2.1 Initial (First) Inspection
    (PI) 5.1.1.6,
    5.1.1.11 – 5.1.1.22,
    5.1.1.44 – 5.1.1.46    		 For equipment of passenger vessels the examination of plans and designs
    (PI) 5.1.2.19.1,
    5.1.2.60,
    5.1.2.61,
    5.1.2.66.2,
    5.1.2.69 – 5.1.2.90,
    5.1.2.106,
    5.1.2.140,
    5.1.2.143,
    5.1.2.144    		 Inspections of equipment during construction and after installation
    (PI) 5.1.3.6 – 5.1.3.10 Documentation required to be placed on board

  2. 2.2 Renewal InspectionFootnote 5requirements

    Table (6) 2. Passenger Vessels
      2.2 Renewal Inspection
    (PR) 5.2.1.13,
    5.2.1.23 – 5.2.1.27    		 Examination of current certificates and other records
    (PR) 5.2.2.22,
    5.2.2.54 – 5.2.2.56,
    5.2.2.64 – 5.2.2.91,
    5.2.2.104    		 Inspection of equipment

II. Part 3 vessels

Inspectors must follow these requirements during inspections of all fire protection equipment required by the VFSR.

Initial (First) Inspection

  1. Inspect Structural Fire Protection during construction to ensure that it reflects the approved plans and complies with VFSR requirements.
  2. Inspect the installation of all fire protection systems and equipment:
    1. to identify equipment from manufacturer's documents, as applicable;
    2. to verify that all systems and equipment are in operational condition;
    3. to ensure correct installation of securing and release devices;
    4. to verify the validity of equipment testing and servicing dates; and
    5. to verify that safety and operating instructions are posted.

Periodic Inspections

  1. Inspect all structural fire protection arrangements;
  2. Check the fire control plan or booklet against the vessel;
  3. Verify that the primary and emergency exits of all spaces are:
    1. unobstructed;
    2. able to be opened from both sides; and
    3. able to be kept in an open position while being used as part of an escape route.
  4. On passenger vessels, verify that the primary and emergency exits of public spaces are clearly identified by proper signage;
  5. Inspect all fire protection systems and equipment by verifying that:
    1. all systems and equipment are in operational condition;
    2. safety and operating instructions are posted; and
    3. all equipment servicing and testing dates are valid.
  6. Verify that each portable fire extinguisher is:
    1. mounted securely and the quick release is easily operable;
    2. stored in a readily accessible location where its operation will not be affected by icing or cold temperature, and if no other fire extinguisher is located in the same space, it is near the entrance to the space; and
    3. identified, marked and tagged, as applicable.
  7. Inspect and test means of closing main inlets and outlets of ventilation systems and for stopping ventilation fans from outside the spaces being served; and
  8. Examine the bilges and tank tops in machinery spaces containing internal combustion engines, boilers or oil fuel units to see that there is no accumulation of oil which might create a fire hazard.

Servicing of Equipment

  1. Verify that all fixed and portable fire extinguishing equipment requiring servicing were serviced as following;
    1. Fixed fire-extinguishing systems must be serviced as required by the standard to which they have been certified by a product certification body, or used for type approval by a recognized organisation, and according to the equipment manufacturer’s instructions or recommendationsFootnote 6.
    2. Fire extinguishers must be serviced as required by the standard to which they have been certified by a product certification body, or used for type approval by the U.S. Coast Guard or a recognized organisation, and according to the equipment manufacturer’s instructions or recommendationsFootnote 6 .
    3. Pressure containers must be serviced according to the applicable requirements of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR) or in accordance with the alternative regulations and standards for which it has been markedFootnote 7.

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