Fire fighting system standards on fishing vessels from 12m to under 24m in length in Vietnam

Hi, Lawnet would like to answer as follows:

1. Firefighting tools and equipment on fishing vessels in Vietnam

According to QCVN 02-35:2021/BNNPTNT, regulations on firefighting tools and equipment on fishing vessels are as follows:

Firefighting tools and equipment must always be ready for use and arranged in easily accessible locations. All equipment must be certified by an organization recognized by the Register as suitable for use on board ships.

Equipment regulations:

- The arrangement of portable fire-fighting equipment must comply with the requirements stated below:

No.	Equipment		Type of Vessels
			Vessels with a length of from 12 to under 15 (m)	Vessels with a length of from 15 to less than 17 (m)	Vessels with a length from 17 to under 24 (m)
1	Kitchen	Portable foam bottle (*)	1	1	1
2	Engine room	Portable foam bottle	1	1	2
		Portable CO 2 tank	1	1	1

Norms for equipping portable fire-fighting equipment

- In addition, vessels must be equipped with firefighting equipment as required in the table below:

No	List of equipment	Type of Vessels
		Vessels with a length of from 12 to under 15 (m)	Vessels with a length of from 15 to less than 17 (m)	Vessels with a length from 17 to under 24 (m)
1	Fire water bucket with rope of sufficient length to scoop water, 10 liter type	1	2	2
2	Ax for fighting fires	1	1	1
3	Lightweight crowbar used to fight fires.	1	1	1
…	…	…	…	…

Technical requirements:

- Portable fire extinguishers must meet the following requirements:

+ Not using fire extinguishing agents that, by themselves or when put into use, will emit toxic gases or cause suffocation in amounts that are dangerous to people.

+ Portable fire extinguishers must have safety devices to prevent the pressure in them from increasing beyond the allowable limit.

+ Fire extinguishers in special mountings of the non-separable type must be located in locations protected against exposure to direct sunlight as well as rain, at a height not greater than 1.5 m from the floor and at a distance of at least 1.5 m from the heat source.

+ The capacity of portable foam bottles must be no less than 9 liters and no more than 13.5 liters.

+ Portable dry powder cylinders must contain no less than 4 kg of powder, and portable CO2 gas cylinders must contain no less than 3 kg of CO2.

+ Fire extinguishers must be periodically inspected according to regulations and must be ready to work under expected conditions.

- Water buckets and fire sand containers must be painted red and must be painted (written) with the word "CC".

2. Fire fighting system on fishing vessels

According to QCVN 02-35:2021/BNNPTNT, regulations on firefighting systems on fishing vessels are as follows:

Fire suppression systems must be structured so that they remain reliable and ready to operate immediately in any situation.

Water-fire-fighting water system:

- On ships with a length ranging from 12 m to under 17 m, a portable water fire pump must be equipped. Ships with a length ranging from 17 m to less than 24 m must be equipped with a fixed water fire pump.

- The output of the fire pump must be calculated to ensure simultaneous water supply to all fire hydrants on the ship, maintaining a minimum pressure at the fire hydrants of 0.12 MPa.

Fire pump requirements:

- Fire pumps must be ready to immediately pump water to extinguish fires and be driven by an independent power source. The Register may allow the fire pump to be driven by the main engine if the propulsion system (main engine - shaft system - propeller) is designed to allow the fire pump to operate when the ship is not underway. Subject to the approval of the Register, a belt with a trapezoidal cross-section may be used to drive from the main engine to the fire pump.

- Sanitary water pumps, dry sump pumps, and other seawater pumps may be used as fire pumps, provided they satisfy the design requirements for output and head. It is not allowed to use fuel oil and lubricant transport pumps as fire pumps.

- In special cases and subject to the approval of the Register, mobile motorized pumps can be used as fire pumps.

- Mobile firefighting pumps must meet the following requirements:

+ Must ensure that the pressure is not less than 0.1 MPa at any fire sprinkler nozzle with a diameter of not less than 10 mm.

+ The motorized pump must be ready to start and supplied with a sufficient amount of fuel to maintain continuous operation of the pump within 1 hour.

+ The characteristics of fire hoses, fire nozzles (nozzles), and accompanying accessories must be equivalent to those used on the main fire pipeline.

- The fixed fire pump and its seawater intake valve must be located below the light cargo waterline.

Pipeline:

The diameter of the main and service water pipes must be sufficient to distribute water effectively, allowing a constant flow rate of 4 m/s when working at a pressure of not less than 0.1 MPa. In cases where fire pumps capable of supplying the fire main pipeline with a pressure exceeding the allowable pressure value are used, they must be equipped with pressure relief valves (pressure regulators) placed to operate at a pressure exceeding 10% of the working pressure of the main firefighting pipeline.

Fire hydrants and fire hoses:

- Fire hydrants must be arranged so that they can be quickly and easily connected to fire hoses. The number of fire hydrants must be sufficient to provide a jet of water to any part of the ship using a hose no longer than 10 meters in length.

- Fire hydrants must have a height above the deck no greater than 1 m.

- A fire hydrant must be equipped in the engine room, where the fire pump is located.

- Fire hoses, sprinklers, etc. must have quick connection devices of standard type and size and be converted to suit each specific ship.

- Fire hoses must meet the following requirements:

+ They must have a length that ensures fire suppression anywhere on the ship where a fire may occur, but this length must not be greater than 10 m;

+ They must have a diameter that ensures water jet pressure is maintained throughout the fire extinguishing process.

+ Fire hoses, along with their nozzles, must be arranged in a hose reel near the fire hydrant or contained in specialized boxes.

+ Fire sprinkler heads (nozzles) must have a diameter of not less than 10 mm, be dual-purpose (mist spray and jet spray), and have an opening and closing device.

Best regards!

Key word: essels | fishing vessels | in Vietnam | equipment | firefighting |

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