Inland navigation vessels sailing on inland waters of Member States of the European Union (EU) must carry a sufficient number of suitable portable fire extinguishers on board.
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Number of required fire extinguishers and periodic inspection
On your inland navigation vessel certificate, in item 43, you will find how many fire extinguishers must be present on your vessel at all times. This number was determined during certification according to technical requirements.
You may find in item 52 of your certificate that additional fire extinguishers are required in areas where fires involving vegetable or animal oils and fats may occur.
An expert (web page in Dutch) must inspect each fire extinguisher at least every 2 years.
Types of fire extinguishers
The type or types of fire extinguishers you should have on board depends on the type of fire that is possible. All fire extinguishers must be suitable for fires in electrical installations up to 1,000 V.
- Powder
Powder fire extinguishers are usually required as standard.
A powder fire extinguisher is filled with 6 kilograms of powder. - Foam
Foam fire extinguishers are not permitted for liquid gas fires (cooking on gas cylinders).
AFFF foam (at least frost-free to -20°C) is the only type of foam fire extinguisher permitted. A foam fire extinguisher must have a capacity of at least 9 litres. - Carbon dioxide (CO²)
Fire extinguishers containing CO² are permitted in addition to the required fire extinguishers to safely extinguish fires in kitchens and electrical installations.
CO² extinguishers may not contain more than 1 kilogram of CO² for every 15 m³ of the area in which they are kept and used. In smaller areas, extinguishing with these devices creates the risk of not enough oxygen remaining for the people present.
Storing fire extinguishers
Make sure each fire extinguisher is always easily and quickly accessible.
If a fire extinguisher is stored non-visibly, in a cupboard for example, then mark the location with a clearly visible pictogram of a white fire extinguisher in a red square of at least 10 cm x 10 cm.
