Why ship upholstery fire exposure tests are important

Fire measures in public buildings have always had very clear legislation through the CTE, but when it comes to safety on ships the particularities of each section and its construction materials deserve special attention, on all when a ship or large ship departs from port. That's when the people who travel in it are most unprotected. As a result, the SOLAS Conventions, created by IMO (International Maritime Organization) for the safety at sea of people and ships, arose.

To prevent tragedies and catastrophes in the middle of the sea, a series of tests are applied that are associated with certain materials. In our case, the boat upholstery in section 8 (upholstered furniture test) is a very similar extension to that required in the CTE itself for seats and fixed seats upholstered according to UNE-EN 1021-1 and UNE-EN 1021-2.

The specific standard on testing procedures in upholstery for ships published by IMO is that of the Res. A652 (16): referring to the test for upholstered furniture, flameless cigar test and butane gas flame test.

For the light cigarette source on boat upholstery, one without filter with the following characteristics is used:

• long (approx. 68mm)
• diameter (approx. 8mm)
• weight (1g nominal)
• slow combustion rate (12.0 +- 1.5 min/50 mm)

The slow combustion rate of the cigarette is checked on a sample of every 10 cigarettes used as explained below. The cigarette is made one mark at 5 mm and another 55mm from the end where it needs to be turned on. When the cigarette is lit it is nailed by its unlit end into a horizontal wire spike located in an atmosphere without drafts, up to a maximum of 13mm. The cigarette is lit and the time it takes to consume from one mark to the other is taken to take note. During consumption, it is observed if the upholstery suffers any damage or ignites any flames.

Another method for assessing the strength of some boat upholstery is the use of a butane flame. To perform this test a continuous flame is approached to a certain pressure to assess whether the flame is capable of causing any damage, such as the ability to drill the flame on the upholstery and the emission of fumes.

These types of fire exposure tests are done to know the reaction of some materials to a flame, observe the type of ignition and spread, its speed and extent or if there is any kind of toxic fumes, as they are decisive to be able to whether they are valid for use on ships, both as hidden or decorated cladding elements.

In the last year 2019 the number of passengers on cruise ships has reached 30 million according to the International Association of Cruise Lines (CLIA). By this year 2020, the shipping industry of sea tourism plans to launch about 20 cruises, not to mention those that in the next 5 years some companies such as Costa Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival or MSC plans to carry out. This growth is due to the good behavior of this sector and to give greater accessibility to everyone, the strategy of deseasonalizing cruise ships has been established and thus campaigning also in winter.

Safety has therefore been increased, as there are many more constructive elements than of these large ships and more passengers. Therefore, the crew of these large leisure boats must be permanently formed in the event of a fire and for this purpose drills are always carried out before leaving.

One of the most direct and effective safety measures on a cruise ship is the high-pressure spray systems that are selectively activated, while accompanying the sealing of corridors in a watertight manner and by pressurized doors that end up isolating fire and smoke.

The cruise sector adheres to the rigid regulations of the International Convention for the Safety of Human Life at Sea (SOLAS) developed by the International Maritime Organization, where the position of Royal Comfort must be highlighted equipping imo fireproof upholstery for ships with the latest in flame-retardant upholstery.