Section 48
( 1)
of Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Regulations, 2003
The number of openings in watertight bulkheads shall be reduced to the minimum compatible with the design and proper working of the ship. Satis-factory means shall be provided for closing these openings.
565
\2)
(a)
Where pipes, scuppers, electric cables etc. are carried through watertight subdivision bulkheads, arrangements shall be made to ensure the watertight integrity of the bulkheads.
(b)
Valves not forming part of a piping system shall not be permitted in watertight subdivision bulkheads.
,-
(c)
Lead or other heat sensitive materials shall not be used in systems which penetrate watertight subdivision bulkheads, where deterioration of such systems in the event of fire would impair the watertight integrity of the bulkheads.
13)
(a)
No doors, manholes, or access openings are permitted-
(i)
in the collision bulkhead below the margin line;
(ii)
in watertight transverse bulkheads dividing a cargo space from an adjoining cargo space or from a permanent or reserve bunker, except as provided in paragraph (a) of sub-regulation
(10)
and in regulation 49.
(b)
Except as provided in paragraph (c), the collision bulkhead may be pierced below the margin line by not more than one pipe for dealing with fluid in the forepeak tank, provided that the pipe is fitted with a screwdown valve capable of being operated from above the bulkhead deck, the valve chest being secured inside the forepeak to the collision bulkhead.
The Director may authorise the fitting of this valve on the after side of the collision bulkhead, provided that the valve is readily accessible under all service conditions and the space in which it is located is not a cargo space.
(c)
If the forepeak is divided to hold 2 different kinds of liquids, the
Director may allow the collision bulkhead to be pierced below the margin line by 2 pipes, each of which is fitted as required by of paragraph (b), provided the Director is satisfied that there is no practical alternative to the fitting of such a second pipe and that, having regard to the additional sub-division provided in the forepeak, the safety of the ship is maintained.
(4)
{a}
Watertight doors fitted in bulkheads between permanent and reserve bunkers shall always be accessible, except as provided in paragraph
{d) of sub-regulation (9) for between-deck bunker doors.
(b)
Satisfactory arrangements shall be made by means of screens or otherwise to prevent the coal from interfering with the closing of watertight bunker doors.
(5)
Subject to sub-regulation (11), not more than one door, apart from the doors to bunkers and shaft tunnels, may be fitted in each main transverse bulk-head within spaces containing the main and auxiliary propulsion machinery including boilers serving the needs of propulsion and all permanent bunkers.
Where 2 or more shafts are fitted, the tunnels shall be connected by an intercom-municating passage. There shall be only one door between the machinery space and the tunnel spaces where 2 shafts are fitted and only 2 doors where there are more than 2 shafts. All these doors shall be of the sliding type and shall be so located as to have their sills as high as practicable. The hand gear for operating these doors from above the bulkhead deck shall be situated outside the spaces containing the machinery.
(6)
{a}
Watertight doors, except as provided in paragraph {a} of sub-regulation (10) or regulation 49, shall be power-operated sliding doors complying with the requirements of sub-regulation (7) capable of being closed simultaneously from the central operating console at the navigation bridge in not more than 60 seconds with the ship in the upright position.
{b)
The means of operation whether by power or by hand of any power-operated sliding watertight door shall be capable of closing the door with the ship listed to 15° either way. Consideration shall also be given to the forces which may act on either side of the door as may be experienced when water is flowing through the opening applying a static head equiva-lent to a water height of at least one metre above the sill on the centreline of the door.
(c)
Watertight door controls, including hydraulic piping and electric cables, shall be kept as close as practicable to the bulkhead in which the doors are fitted, in order to minimise the likelihood of them being involved in any damage which the ship may sustain. The positioning of watertight doors and their controls shall be such that if the ship sustains damage within one-fifth of the breadth of the ship, such distance being measured at right angles to the centreline at the level of the deepest subdivision load line, the operation of the watertight doors clear of the damage portion of the ship is not impaired.
(d)
All power-operated sliding watertight doors shall be provided with means of indication which will show at all remote operating positions whether the doors are open or closed. Remote operating positions shall only 566
567 27th. DECEMBER, 2003
be at the navigation bridge as required by paragraph {a)(v) of sub-regulation
{7) and, at the location where hand operation above the bulkhead deck is required by paragraph (a){iv) of sub-regulation (7).
(e)
In ships constructed before 1st. February, 1992, doors which do not comply with paragraphs {a) to {d! shall be closed before the voyage commences, and shall be kept closed during navigation; the time of opening such doors in port and of closing them before the ship leaves port shall be entered in the offi.ciallog-book.
(7)
{a)
Each power-operated sliding watertight door shall-
{i)
have a vertical or horizontal motion;
{ii)
subject to sub-regulation {llL be normally limited to a maximum clear opening width of 1.2 metres. The Director may permit larger door only.- to the extent considered necessary for the effective operation of the ship, provided that other safety measures, including the following, are taken into consideration-
{A)
special consideration shall be given to the strength of the door and its closing appliances in order to prevent leakages;
(B)
the door shall be located outside the damage zone B/5;
(C)
the door shall be kept closed when the ship is at sea, except for limited periods when absolutely necessary as determined by the Director;
(iii)
be fi.tted with the necessary equipment to open and close the door using electric power, hydraulic power, or any other form of power that is acceptable to the Director;
(iv)
be provided with an individual hand-operated mechanism. It shall be possible to open and close the door by hand at the door itself from either side, and in addition, close the door from an accessible position above the bulkhead deck with an all round crank motion or some other movement providing the same degree of safety acceptable to the Director. Direction of rotation or other movement is to be clearly indicated at all operating positions. The time necessary for the complete closure of the door, when operating by hand gear, shall not exceed 90 seconds with the ship in the upright position;
(v)
be provided with controls for opening and closing the door by power from both sides of the door and also for closing the door by power from the central operating console at the navigation bridge;
(vi)
be provided with an audible alarm, distinct from any other alarm in the area, which shall sound whenever the door is closed remotely by power and which shall sound for at least 5
seconds but no more than 10 seconds before the door begins to move and shall continue sounding until the door is completely closed. In the case of remote hand operation, it is sufficient for the audible alarm to sound only when the door is moving. Additionally, in passenger areas and areas of high ambient noise the Director may require the audible alarm to be supplemented by an intermittent visual signal at the door;
and
(vii)
have an approximately uniform rate of closure under power.
The closure time, from the time the door begins to move to the time it reaches the completely closed position, shall in no case be less than 20 seconds or more than 40 seconds with the ship in the upright position.
{b) The electrical power required for power-operated sliding water-tight doors shall be supplied from the emergency switchboard either directly or by a dedicated distribution board situated above the bulkhead deck. The associated control, indication and alarm circuits shall be supplied from the emergency switchboard either directly or by a dedicated distribu-tion board situated above the bulkhead deck and be capable of being auto-matically supplied by the transitional source of emergency electrical power required by paragraph {a)(iii) of sub-regulation (3) of regulation 92 in the event of failure of eithe~· the main or emergency source of electrical power.
(c)
Power-operated sliding watertight doors shall have
(i)
a centralised hydraulic system with 2 independent power sources each consisting of a motor and pump capable of simultaneously clpsing all doors. In addition, there shall be for the whole installation hydraulic accumulators of sufficient capacity to operate all the doors at least 3 times, that is, closed-open-closed, against an adverse list of 15°. This operating cycle shall be capable of being carried out when the accumulator is at the pump cut-in pressure. The fluid used shall be chosen considering the temperatures liable to be encountered by the installation during its service. The power operating system shall be designed to minimise the possibility of having a single failure in the hydraulic piping adversely 568
569 27th. DECEMBER, 2003
affect the operation of more than one door. The hydraulic system shall be provided with a low-level alarm for hydraulic fluid reservoirs serving the power-operated system and a low gas pressure alarm or other effective means of monitoring loss of stored energy in visual and shall be situated on the central operating console at the navigation bridge;
(ii)
an independent hydraulic system for each door with each power source consisting of a motor and pump capable of opening and closing the door. In addition, there shall be a hydraulic accumulator o£ sufficient capacity to operate the door at least 3 times, that is, closed-open-closed, against an adverse list of 15°. This operating cycle shall be capable of being carried out when the accumulator is at the pump cut-in pressure. The fluid used shall be chosen considering the temperatures liable to be encountered by the installation during its service. A low gas, pressure group alarm or other effective means of monitoring loss of stored energy in hydraulic accumulators shall be provided at the central operating console on the navigation bridge. Loss of stored energy indication at each local operating position shall also be provided; or
(iii)
an independent electrical system and motor for each door with each power source consisting of a motor capable of opening and closing the door. The power source shall be capable of being automatically supplied by the transitional source of emergency electrical power as required by para-graph (b} of sub-regulation (4) of regulation 92 in the event of failure of either the main or emergency source of electrical power and with sufficient capacity to operate the door at least 3 times, that is, closed-open-closed, against an adverse list of 15°.
For the system specified in this paragraph, provision should be made as follows -
"Power systems for power-operated watertight sliding doors shall be separate from any other power system. A single failure in the electric or hydraulic power-operated systems excluding the hydraulic actuator shall not prevent the hand operation of any door.".
(d} Control handles shall be provided at each side of the bulkhead at a minimum height of 1.6 metres above the floor and shall be so arranged as to enable persons passing through the doorway to hold both handles in the open position without being able to set the power closing mechanism in
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM GOVERNMENT GAZETTE operation accidentally. The direction of movement of the handles in opening and closing the door shall be in the direction of door movement and shall be clearly indicated.
{e)
As far as practicable, electrical equipment and components for watertight doors shall be situated above the bulkhead deck and outside hazardous areas and spaces.
{f)
The enclosures of electrical components necessarily situated below the bulkhead deck shall provide suitable protection against the ingress of water. •
{g)
Electric power, control, indication and alarm circuits shall be protected against fault in such a way that a failure in one door circuit will not cause a failure in any other door circuit. Short circuits or other faults in the alarm or indicator circuits of a door shall not result in a loss of power operation of that door. Arrangements shall be such that leakage of water into the electrical equipment located below the bulkhead deck will not cause the door to open.
{h)
A single electrical failure in the power operating or control system of a power-operated sliding watertight door shall not result in a closed door opening. Availability of the power supply should be continuously monitored at a point in the electrical circuit as near as practicable to each of the motors required by paragraph {c). Loss of any such power supply should activate an audible and visual alarm at the central operating console at the navigation bridge.
(8)
{a)
The central operating console at the navigation bridge shall have a "master mode" switch with 2 modes of control -
(i)
a "local aontrol" mode which shall allow any door to be locally opened and locally closed after use without automatic closure; and
(ii)
a "doors closed" mode which shall automatically close any door that is open.
* Reference is made to the following IEC publication 529: 1976 1.
electrical motors, associated circuits and control components; protected to IPx7 standard;