Merchant Marine Circular No. 281

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Merchant Marine Circulars

Please find attached copy of Merchant Marine Circular No. 281 recently issued by Panama Maritime Authority (PMA).

The purpose of this Circular is to inform some Guidelines for the Maintenance and Inspection of Fire- Protection System and Appliances.   This guidelines contain the minimum recommended level and are not an all-inclusive list of maintenance or inspection items for fire protection systems, fire fighting appliances and emergency equipment.

This guidelines are applicable to all ships, including MODUs, and should be used as a basis for the onboard maintenance plan required by SOLAS Regulation II-2/14.

This guidelines address general topics for the maintenance and inspections of Fire-protections Systems and Appliances such as: operational readiness, maintenance, as well as periodical testing and inspections on different basis such as: weekly; monthly; quarterly; annual; 2 years; 5 years and 10 years.

Also, specific topics on maintenance and inspection of portable Fire Extinguishers are addressed.  On this item, the guidelines cover: spare charges; additional fire extinguishers on board and refilling of extinguishers.

Other elements such as additional requirements for Halon Systems on board ships (only for vessels which keel was laid on or after October 1994); Fire protection on paint lockers and SOLAS Emergency Fire Pump are also included within the guidelines.

If you need further assistance regarding this matter, please contact us to arodilaw@arodi.com