MED non-compliant fire hoses
In 2017 performance standards for MED-approval for fire hoses up to 52 mm became available. Typically fire hoses up to 52 mm are in use on board of ships.
For fire hoses above 52 mm, no standards for MED-approval have been established. For these hoses a National type approval by the Flag applicable is required per SOLAS. The NSI does not have type approved fire hoses with a diameter above 52 mm.
It recently has been reported that some vendors supply fire hoses with MED-wheelmark, while these hoses are not in accordance with the MED performance standards. (also see the attached letter by the EU-MARED, named 'MarED - MED certificates for fire hoses (entry MED3.29)').
As a result, a ship was detained and one of the grounds was fire hoses with an incorrect MED-wheelmark. The hoses where having a diameter of less than 52 mm but were provided with a rubber (or plastic) coating on the outside, what is not in correspondence with the current1 referred ISO standard for the MED approval.
Although it cannot be stated that subjected fire hoses are unsafe, they are not in accordance with the standards for MED approval and therefore non-compliant. As a result this must be addressed. Therefore when non-compliant fire hoses are found on board, the following procedure shall be used:
-
Subject non-compliant hoses shall be pressure tested in accordance with MSC.1/Circ.1432, paragraph 7. When the hoses fail the test they must be replaced immediately. In case they pass the test the shipowner reports to the RO. In order to avoid problems with local (Port State) authorities, the RO may then issue a Statutory deficiency mentioning the presence of non-compliant fire hoses on board with a limit date for maximum 3 months, without prior consultation of the NSI. The RO shall report to the NSI afterwards;
-
Where subject non – compliant hoses were delivered less than 6 months ago, the shipowner shall inform the supplier. In addition the shipowner shall send a report including the supplier and make of subject hoses to the NSI, using the email address nsi-tez-kv@ilent.nl. The NSI will forward this report to their department 'Producttoezicht' for their attention.