ABS updates RoRo fire rules

The update is the culmination of more than a year of work with leading industry expertise including RoRo operators. The requirements include supplemental fire detection, alarms, and firefighting equipment as well as provisions associated with vehicle recharging.

ABS claims to be the first classification organisation to adapt its rules to account for the specific challenges presented by increasing volumes of battery-operated vehicles transported by sea.

The updates build on experience in addressing firefighting and safety systems in the cargo holds of container vessels, and also on the location of a series of high-profile fires onboard. The ABS Guide for Fire-Fighting Systems for Cargo Areas of Container Carriers was the industry’s first guidance on tackling the issue.

“Although recent incidents have not affected ABS-Classed vessels, the nature of the vehicles carried on all RoRo vessels is changing, introducing fresh challenges for the entire industry, and we are committed to meeting these challenges. By updating our rules in response to the evolving risk presented by battery-powered electric vehicles and the particular issues these types of vehicles create for car carriers, we are advancing the cause of safety at sea and continuing our 160-year-old mission,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology.

The updated requirements become effective for new build vessels on 1 July 2022.

The requirements are available here and here.