According to amendments to SOLAS regulations II-2/13.4.1 and 13.4.2 for submission to MSC 92, for ensuring effective means of escape from engine control rooms and other enclosed working spaces located within machinery spaces, in both cargo and passenger ships, with the aim to provide the same level of fire protection. It was agreed that minimum two means of escape shall be provided from the main workshop within a machinery space. At least one of these escape routes shall provide a continuous fire shelter to a safe position outside the machinery space. In addition, improved access to the normal exit and emergency escape routes, with the provision that all inclined ladders or stairways with open treads, not located within a protected enclosure, are to be of steel and protected against heat and flame by steel shields attached to their undersides.
However, the sub-committee could not reach an agreement on the query from IACS (FP 56/7) on the requirement to insulate the escape trunks from machinery spaces of category A. Although there was strong support for providing category 4 insulation throughout the entire escape trunk, the Sub-committee could not reach a unanimous agreement and therefore the Chair decided to leave the matter to the discretion of the Flag Administrations.
The Sub-Committee could not also reach a consensus on the submissions from the Republic of Korea as well as People’s Republic of China which proposed to develop Unified Interpretations for SOLAS regulations II-2/13.4.1 and 13.4.2 as a number of delegations were of the view that the ladder should not be included in the calculation of internal dimensions of the protected enclosures, used as means of escape from machinery spaces.
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