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• Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) vide resolution MSC.338(91), adopted amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/10 regarding fire fighters’ communication which states as:

“For ships constructed on or after 1 July 2014, a minimum of two two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus for each fire party for fire-fighter's communication shall be carried on board. Those two-way portable radiotelephone apparatuses shall be of an explosion-proof type or intrinsically safe. Ships constructed before 1 July 2014 shall comply with the requirements of this paragraph not later than the first survey after 1 July 2018.”

• In view of above, Maritime Cook Islands (MCI) has issued technical circular 179/2018 providing information and administration’s requirement for implementation of the amendment.

• Administration requires that these fire fighter’s radio are required to be stored in easily accessible location of the fire fighter’s outfit and are in ready for use at all times. They may have coloured housing distinguishing these radios from other radios onboard which are used for normal operations and for emergency use.

• Amendments does not state any specific technical requirements or performance standards for explosion-proof or intrinsically safe devices. Considering this scenario, the MCI administration has accepted two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus complying with following standards:

1. IEC 60079-0:2017 Explosive atmospheres – Part 0: Equipment – General requirements;
2. IEC 60079-11:2011 Explosive atmospheres – Part 11: Equipment protection by intrinsic safety “i”;
3. IEC 60945 Maritime navigation and radio communication equipment and systems –General requirements – Methods of testing and required test results;
4. Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU;
5. ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU;
6. UL 913 Standard for Intrinsically Safe Apparatus and Associated Apparatus for Use in Class I, II, and III, Division 1, Hazardous (Classified) Locations, as amended.

• Any other equivalent standards are to be submitted to the Administration for review at technical@maritimecookislands.com

• Compliance with the above requirements will be verified during statutory surveys by confirmation of at least below points:

1. The Certificate of Conformity (or Declaration of Conformity), or equivalent document, providing the compliance of the two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus for the use in potentially explosive atmospheres;
2. Storage of the two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus;
3. Working of the two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus in a satisfactorily condition;
4. Condition and maintenance of batteries;
5. Condition and maintenance of spare batteries, if any;
6. Working condition of the batteries charger(s), if any.

• Ship owners/ operators and masters are advised to take note of above.

Enclosure:

1. Maritime Cook Islands circular 179/2018

Disclaimer:

This Technical Circular and the material contained in it is provided only for the purpose of supplying current information to the reader and not as an advice to be relied upon by any person. While we have taken utmost care to be as factual as possible, readers/ users are advised to verify the exact text and content of the Regulation from the original source/ issuing Authority.

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