IMO has issued the Revised Hazardous area classification

The International Maritime Organization has issued the Revised Hazardous area classification (application of SOLAS regulation II-1/45.11).

Circular MSC.1/Circ.1557/Rev.1 was issued on 5 September 2023 and supersedes MSC.1/Circ.1557.

Foreword

The Maritime Safety Committee, at its ninety-seventh session (21 to 25 November 2016), with a view to providing more specific guidance on hazardous area classification, having considered paragraph 12.32 of the report of the Sub-Committee on Ships Systems and Equipment (SSE 3/16) to the Committee, approved criteria for the application of SOLAS regulation II-1/45.11, as contained in Hazardous area classification (application of SOLAS regulation II-1/45.11) (MSC.1/Circ.1557).

The Maritime Safety Committee, at its 107th session (31 May to 9 June 2023), approved draft amendments to the aforementioned guidance (MSC.1/Circ.1557) in order to address inconsistencies between the standard IEC 60092-502 published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and relevant IMO instruments, prepared by the Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment, at its ninth session (27 February to 3 March 2023), for circulation of the Revised Guidance as MSC.1/Circ.1557/Rev.1, as set out in the annex.

Member States are invited to use the annexed Revised Guidance when applying SOLAS regulation II-1/45.11 to hazardous areas on board ships constructed on or after 1 October 2023, and to bring this Revised Guidance to the attention of all parties concerned.

Annex

Hazardous area classification in respect of selection of electrical equipment, cables and wiring and positioning of openings and air intakes.

Where the prescriptive requirements within SOLAS and related Codes (IBC and IGC Codes) and the standards published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), such as, but not limited to, IEC 60092-502:1999, are not aligned, the prescriptive requirements in SOLAS and other relevant IMO instruments should take precedence and be applied.

The differences between the above-mentioned documents are listed in the appendix (in the document below), as provided by IACS.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):