NEW CLASS B, C AND D AND EXISTING CLASS B SHIPS:

The fire safety objectives of this chapter are to: prevent the occurrence of fire and explosion; reduce the risk to life caused by fire; reduce the risk of damage caused by fire to the ship, its cargo and the environment; contain, control and suppress fire and explosion in the compartment of origin; and provide adequate and readily accessible means of escape for passengers and crew. In order to achieve the fire objectives set out in paragraph .1 the following basic principles underlie the regulations in this chapter and are embodied in the regulations as appropriate, having regard to the type of ships and the potential fire hazard involved: division of ship into main vertical zones by thermal and structural boundaries; separation of accommodation spaces from the remainder of the ship by thermal and structural boundaries; restricted use of combustible materials; detection of any fire in the zone of origin; containment and extinction of any fire in the space of origin; protection of means of escape or access for fire-fighting; ready availability of fire-extinguishing appliances; minimisation of possible ignition of flammable cargo vapour. The fire safety objectives set out in paragraph .1 shall be achieved by ensuring compliance with the prescriptive requirements specified in this chapter or by alternative design and arrangements which comply with Part F of the revised Chapter II-2 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended, which applies to ships constructed on or after 1 January 2003. A ship shall be considered to meet the functional requirements set out in paragraph .2 and to achieve the fire safety objectives set out in paragraph .1 when either: the ship's designs and arrangements, as a whole, complies with the relevant prescriptive requirements in this chapter; the ship's designs and arrangements, as a whole, have been reviewed and approved in accordance with Part F of the revised Chapter II-2 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended, which applies to ships constructed on or after 1 January 2003; part(s) of the ship's designs and arrangements have been reviewed and approved in accordance with the above-mentioned Part F of the revised Chapter II-2 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended and the remaining parts of the ship comply with the relevant prescriptive requirements of this chapter. All ships which undergo repairs, alterations, modifications and outfitting related thereto shall continue to comply with at least the requirements previously applicable to these ships. Repairs, alterations and modifications which substantially alter the dimensions of a ship or the passenger accommodation spaces, or substantially increase a ship's service life and outfitting related thereto shall meet the latest requirements for new ships in so far as the Administration of the flag State deems reasonable and practicable.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-10 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.