Maintenance, testing and inspections for fire protection systems as well as fire-fighting systems and appliances are required in accordance with SOLAS Chapter II-2/14.2.2 as quoted below.

• 2.2 Maintenance, testing and inspections

• 2.2.1 Maintenance, testing and inspections shall be carried out based on the guidelines developed by the Organization (Refer to MSC.1/Circ.1432 as amended, including the amendments by MSC.1/Circ.1516) and in a manner having due regard to ensuring the reliability of fire-fighting systems and appliances.

• 2.2.2 The maintenance plan shall be kept on board the ship and shall be available for inspection whenever required by the Administration.

The above maintenance plan onboard is to be prepared based on the instructions given by the flag administration as well as MSC.1/Circ.1432 and MSC.1/Circ.1516 as amended. Maintenance, testing and inspections of fire protection systems and fire-fighting systems as well as appliances are to be implemented based on the above plan.

In this connection, Table-1 gives an overview of maintenance, testing and inspections for main fire-fighting systems based on MSC.1/Circ.1432 and MSC.1/Circ.1516, as amended, as well as other applicable reference guidelines, while Table-2 summarizes instructions from different flag State Administrations.

ClassNK surveyors confirm that the maintenance, testing and inspections of fire protection systems as well as fire-fighting systems and appliances on board ship are carried out as part of the safety equipment survey, in accordance with the maintenance plan based on Flag Administration instructions.

Remarks
In principle, the inspection interval for new built ships carried out by shipyard staff or crew starts from delivery of a vessel, while inspections for such things as replaced items or hydrostatic tests starts from either the date when such an inspection was last carried out or from the date of manufacture. In case there are related instructions by administrations, the instruction should be followed.