The Singapore Government has notified ClassNK of hydraulic tests, measurement of weight, and periodical inspection of fire extinguishers and fixed gas fire-extinguishing systems on board Singapore-registered ships, where are produced as follows:

1. Fire extinguishers
(1) Containers and propellant bottles of fire extinguishers should be hydraulic pressure tested every 10 years.
(2) The condition of recharge of CO2 gas fire extinguishers should be checked annually, and if the loss of gas by weight exceeds 10 % of the original charge, gas cylinders to be hydraulic pressure tested before being recharged.
(3) The condition of recharge of fire extinguishers other than CO2 gas fire extinguishers including propellant bottles should be checked annually, and if the loss of gas by weight exceeds 10 % of the original charge, they should be to be recharged.

2. Fixed CO2 gas fire-extinguishing systems
(1) CO2 gas bottles should be hydraulic pressure tested 20 years after the date on which the bottles were put in use, and every 5 years thereafter.
(2) The quantity of the medium in the bottles should be checked once every 4 years. This may be carried out in batches of 25 % of the bottles annually, or 50 % of the bottles biennially or in accordance with the ship's maintenance plan prescribed in Reg. 14.4.2 (Maintenance, testing and inspections) of the Chapter II-2 of the 2000 amendments to the 1974 SOLAS so long as every CO2 bottle is checked once every 4 years. The bottles should be recharged or renewed if the loss of gas by weight exceeds 10 % of the original charge.
(3) All stop valves should be checked monthly to ensure that they are in their proper open or closed position.

3. Fixed halon gas fire-extinguishing systems
(1) Halon gas cylinders should be hydraulic pressure tested 20 years after the date on which the cylinders were put in use, and every 5 years thereafter. The number of the cylinders may be reduced at the direction of an attending Surveyor provided that the condition of those cylinders should be found satisfactory and at least 15 % of the total number of the cylinders should be subjected to the tests.

(2) The quantity of the medium in the cylinders should be checked annually, and the cylinders should be recharged or renewed if the loss of gas by weight exceeds 10 % of the original charge. In this case, the cylinders should be tested by hydraulic pressure before being recharged if 4 years have elapsed since the last hydraulic test.

For any questions about the above, please contact:

NIPPON KAIJI KYOKAI (ClassNK)
Survey Department, Administration Center, Head Office
Address: 4-7 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8567, Japan
Tel.: 03-5226-2027 / 2028
Fax: 03-5226-2029
E-mail: svd@classnk.or.jp