Fire Protection

CLIA's oceangoing members have adopted this policy to reflect best practices regarding fire protection measures for covered mooring decks on cruise ships. This policy is effective on December 31, 2015, and applies to cruise ships having a covered mooring deck, which is described as a mooring station on an open deck that is located below accommodation, service, or other spaces.

CLIA cruise lines are to provide a fixed fire detection and alarm system and a fixed fire suppression system that are suitable for protection of a covered mooring deck, taking into account the general arrangement of the mooring deck, risk of fire, location of mooring lines while stowed and in use, and any manufacturer recommendations for installation of such systems on an open deck, as well as any flag State requirements.

The detection system on a covered mooring deck should initiate audible and visual alarms that are integrated into the fixed fire detection and alarm system for other parts of the ship. The fire suppression system, whether of a design that is activated automatically or manually, should have a local manual release capability that is clearly marked and located adjacent to and outside the protected space.

As part of this policy, CLIA cruise lines are to establish procedures intended to regularly test the function of the fixed fire detection and alarm system and to train relevant ship's crew in manual activation of the fixed fire suppression system on the covered mooring deck while at sea and in port.

To increase the level of safety in the event of a fire onboard, CLIA's members have adopted a policy that each cruise vessel operator install local sounding smoke alarms1 in all passenger and crew cabins that are intended to immediately alert occupants of the cabin to the presence of smoke in all ships that are not required to comply with Regulations 7.5.1 and 7.5.2 of Chapter II-2 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). These local alarms, when operated in conjunction with the smoke detection and alarm system required by SOLAS, enhance smoke detection with minimal adverse operational impact.

Central to the presence of local sounding smoke alarms is the premise that these alarms should not interfere with internationally required fire detection systems or operational procedures necessary for passenger management in the event of an emergency. Local sounding smoke alarms should not render the public address system ineffective, prevent efficient communications between crew and passengers or within the fire team, or otherwise prevent the passing of information necessary in responding to an emergency.

CLIA's policy recognizes that life safety onboard cruise ships in the event of a fire is enhanced by a system of safety that incorporates: structural fire resistant design; fire detection and extinguishing systems (including smoke detectors and alarms, sprinkler systems, and fire mains); emergency response teams that have received advanced training in shipboard firefighting; and shipboard operational response procedures formulated for specific emergency situations.

Under CLIA's policy, local sounding smoke alarms are not to be relied on as the sole means of assuring that a passenger or crewmember is alerted to the possibility of danger from smoke or fire. When smoke detector activation causes an alarm to sound on the bridge or in the ships safety center, CLIA's policy is that cruise operators also alert the compartment occupant and ascertain if there is indeed a fire, a practice that has existed previously. To this end, CLIA's policy calls for the following actions:

Immediately direct one or more crew members to the location of the activated smoke detector to investigate.

Immediately place a telephone call from the ship's safety center to the affected passenger cabin or crew cabin where equipped with a telephone.

In the event of the activation of multiple smoke detectors throughout a space or in more than one space, and in the absence of specific knowledge or additional information regarding the origin of these alarms, immediately assemble and, in the absence of confirmation that there is no fire, dispatch a fire response team.

Additionally, under CLIA's policy members are to provide passenger instruction on what action to take in the event of the activation of a local sounding alarm. Such instruction may be provided via in-room written, electronic and/or video safety information. Such instructions should include, but are not limited to, the meaning of the alarm and the action the passenger is directed to take. Training for the crew regarding how to respond to local sounding alarms is to be given at appropriate intervals and included in the crew safety manuals required by SOLAS.

1 Local sounding smoke alarm means an audible signal that is emitted within a passenger or crew cabin where a smoke detector is activated and which is of sufficient sound pressure (loudness) to alert occupants of the cabin to the possibility of danger from smoke.

Additionally, under CLIA's policy members are to provide passenger instruction on what action to take in the event of the activation of a local sounding alarm. Such instruction may be provided via in-room written, electronic and/or video safety information. Such instructions should include, but are not limited to, the meaning of the alarm and the action the passenger is directed to take. Training for the crew regarding how to respond to local sounding alarms is to be given at appropriate intervals and included in the crew safety manuals required by SOLAS.

CLIA's oceangoing members have adopted this policy to reflect best practices regarding water mist fire suppression systems on cruise ships. This policy is effective on December 31, 2015, and applies to cruise ships fitted with a water mist fire suppression system in category "A" machinery spaces.

CLIA cruise lines are to eliminate to the extent practicable any programmed time delay from an automated activation sequence of the water mist system and to provide a redundant source of power or supply pressure to the water mist system in the event of power loss.

As part of this policy, CLIA cruise lines are to establish procedures intended to maintain adequate head pressure in the water mist system while discharging, in the event multiple adjacent detectors or nozzles are activated, such as through the use of smoke control barriers, isolation valves, or similar measures.