1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its ninety-fourth
session (17 to 21 November 2014), taking into account the information
on findings from the testing programme on automatic sprinkler systems
on passenger ships implemented by the Bahamas, agreed to bring the
following to the attention of shipowners, operators, system manufacturers
and other parties concerned:
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.1 During annual operational testing of sprinkler
heads as prescribed in the Revised guidelines for the maintenance
and inspection of fire protection systems and appliances (MSC.1/Circ.1432), failures were identified
by the Bahamas on a variety of makes and types of system. Additional
testing revealed in some instances failure rates which significantly
reduce the effectiveness of an automatic sprinkler system. These failures
represented a number of manufacturers and included both high and low
pressure systems, indicating that the reliability issues were independent
of both the make and type of sprinkler head.
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.2 All identified failures occurred on ships over
five years of age and involved one or more of the following modes
of failure:
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.1 blockage of the internal filters of the sprinkler
heads with mineral deposits;
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.2 build-up of scale and mineral deposits on the
internal components of the sprinklers causing seizure when the sprinkler
is activated; and
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.3 corrosion of the internal components of the
sprinklers causing seizure when the sprinkler is activated.
2 In considering the above findings, the Committee
agreed that appropriate amendments to MSC.1/Circ.1432 and chapter 8 of the FSS Code should
be considered as a matter of urgency.
3 In view of the potential consequences should
automatic sprinkler systems fail to operate as intended on a ship
and until appropriate recommendations are developed by the Organization
as described in paragraph 2, the Committee urges shipowners, operators
and system manufactures to actively monitor and assess the effectiveness
of automatic sprinkler systems on a planned periodical basis in accordance
to MSC.1/Circ.1432.
4 Shipowners, operators, system manufacturers
and other parties concerned are also encouraged to note the guidance
on the testing requirements for automatic sprinkler systems issued
by the Bahamas, which is available at the following website address:
http://www.bahamasmaritime.com/downloads/bulletins/150bulltn.pdf.
5 Member Governments and international organizations
are invited to bring the above recommendations and information to
the attention of shipowners, operators, system manufacturers and other
parties concerned.