Hong Kong Regulations

MERCHANT SHIPPING (SEAFARERS) (CREW ACCOMMODATION) - SECT 34

Cold store rooms and refrigerating equipment

Caution: This is a past version. See the current version here.

(1) Subject to subsection (2) -

   (a)  in every foreign-going ship of 1000 tons or over cold store rooms
        shall be provided for the storage of perishable provisions; and

   (b)  in every other ship there shall be provided for the storage of
        perishable provisions for the crew either cold store rooms or adequate
        alternative cold storage facilities.

(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply to ships in which each member of the crew
provides his own food.

(3) Cold store rooms or other facilities provided shall be so constructed as
to enable them to be effectively cleaned and shall be adequate in size having
regard to the number of seafarers in the crew and the period likely to elapse
between successive replenishments of stores.

(4) Access to every cold store room shall be from a passageway, galley or
pantry or from another cold store room.

(5) Every cold store room shall be served by refrigerating machinery. The
space in which that machinery is situated shall be separated from all other
parts of the crew accommodation by bulkheads complying with the requirements
of section 8; it shall be adequately ventilated by at least 2 ventilators to
the open air one of which shall be fitted with an exhaust fan and shall have
its inlet near the bottom of the space. Access to that space shall, where
practicable, be by means of a hinged door from an open deck. If the door opens
into any part of the crew accommodation, the door shall be of steel, gastight
and self-closing.

(6) The refrigerating equipment shall be such that with the refrigerating
machinery working not more than 12 hours a day a maximum temperature of -10
degrees Celsius can be maintained in any cold store room intended to be used
only for the storage of meat, and a maximum temperature of -18 degrees Celsius
can be maintained in any cold store room intended to be used for deep frozen
foods. In any store room intended to be used for the storage of meat and deep
frozen foods, the equipment shall be capable of maintaining a maximum
temperature of -18 degrees Celsius, and a temperature of 7 degrees Celsius in
any store room intended to be used for the storage of fresh vegetables.

(7) A red warning light outside every cold store room or group of cold store
rooms shall be included in the lighting circuit of each such room or groups of
rooms. Every cold store room shall be fitted with an internal means of
sounding an external alarm and with a means of releasing the door fastenings
from the inside.

(8) Refrigerating machinery making use of ammonia or methyl chloride as a
refrigerant shall not be installed. (Enacted 1995)