How to comply with the SOLAS unified interpretation amendment SC 282

Two out of three ship fires start in the engine room. This area is classified as Category “A” due to its inventory of combustible material, such as the engine, turbine, and gearbox. An engine room fire fed by oil and other flammable substances has the risk of spreading quickly and becoming a threat to the vessel and the crew.

According to Norske Veritas, more than 50 percent of fires within the engine room are caused by fuel or lubricating oil leaking onto hot surfaces. The bureau estimates that the direct costs of an engine room fire can climb as high as 4 million euro.

The safety of the vessel and its crew depends on adequate fire prevention measures that prevent or mitigate the effect of a fire in the engine room. Oil leaks are often caused by failing pipes or components, and components made of aluminum alloys are often part of the problem because they melt at temperatures around 640-660°C - after just 5 to 10 minutes of fire.

The use of aluminum components on engine, turbine, or gearbox installations has been controversial for years due to the relatively low melting temperature of the lightweight material, which may cause oil spills and accelerate the fire.

To deal with the problem, the SOLAS Circular 282 specifies that the housing and bodies of valves, switches, transmitters, filters, and strainers should be made of steel or another equivalent material with a melting point above 930°C and an elongation above 12 percent.

The unified interpretation of the SOLAS Circular was implemented on vessels constructed after July 1, 2017. This means that external components such as test valves, fuel filter housings, pipes, etc., which are prone to release flammable substances in the engine room due to failure, have to be made of steel.