Appendix B – Critical Equipment

Identification

1. Criticality for equipment is defined as: “the sudden operational failure of which may result in hazardous situations”, and is therefore specific to vessel type and design.
2. Critical equipment is identified in the vessel maintenance programme.
3. Level of risk considerations:
   1. Threat to life (from negligible injury through to multiple fatalities)
   2. Threat to the environment (from minor pollution through to major pollution)
   3. Likelihood of occurrence
4. Frequency of use of the equipment
5. Redundancy of the equipment (equipment that is redundant is less critical in case of failure; equipment designed to activate in case of failure is already a back‑up)
6. Ease of testing and maintaining the equipment
7. Weather influence in case of breakdown
8. Be as specific as possible when relating to equipment. For example, consider not only “the crane” but also “the crane cable”, “the crane lifting system”, “the crane limiting switches”, etc.

Evaluation criteria

• In general, all equipment supplying and supplied by the emergency switchboard should be considered.
• Safety equipment that is not redundant. For example: Emergency Escape Breathing Device (EEBD), fire dampers, quick‑closing valves, emergency stops, Man‑Overboard (MOB) rescue boat, fire central detection, carbon‑dioxide (CO₂) systems, watertight sliding‑door remote‑closing system, oil‑mist detector, alarm systems, etc.
• Anti‑pollution equipment that is not redundant. For example: 15‑ppm alarm cell, deck connections.
• Watertight integrity protection.
• Navigational communications equipment, including sound and light signalling systems.
• Emergency power supplies, including batteries.
• Fuel systems, including emergency stops and quick‑closing valves.
• Fire, gas, and heat detection systems.