Large Fishing Vessel Inspection Regulations

31 (1) Every fishing vessel fitted with a boiler or boilers used for main propulsion, auxiliary power, heating or other purposes shall have such boiler or boilers and the boiler mountings inspected at the following intervals:

• (a) notwithstanding any other requirements of these Regulations, where the boilers supply or are connected to boilers that supply steam to main propulsion machinery, steering gear or other machinery essential to the safety of the fishing vessel, the boilers and boiler mountings shall be inspected annually and the safety valves shall be adjusted annually in the presence of the inspector;

• (b) where the working pressure is more than 345 kPa or where the heating surface is more than 4.65 m², the boilers and boiler mountings shall be inspected annually and the safety valves shall be adjusted annually in the presence of the inspector;

• (c) subject to paragraph (d), where the working pressure is not more than 345 kPa and the heating surface is not more than 4.65 m², the boilers and boiler mountings shall be inspected quadrennially and given a general examination and such further inspection annually as the inspector considers necessary and the safety valves shall be adjusted annually in the presence of the inspector;

• (d) where the working pressure is not more than 103 kPa or where the boiler is of the “pipe coil” type, the boiler and boiler mountings shall be given a general examination and such further inspection annually as the inspector considers necessary and the safety valves shall be adjusted annually in the presence of the inspector.

(2) Where a boiler on a fishing vessel is required to be inspected periodically, the inspection shall be carried out as follows:

• (a) the owner, or his agent, shall have the boiler opened up, the outside and inside plates cleaned and furnace grates and bridges removed as required by the inspector so that a satisfactory and efficient inspection may be made and where bulkheads are so placed as to prevent a close examination of the boiler, they shall be removed or some other satisfactory arrangement made to enable a thorough inspection to be made;

• (b) the inspector shall enter the boiler, if possible, and make a thorough examination with the bridges and fire bars removed; the furnaces, combustion chambers, shell plates and other parts shall be drilled, when the inspector considers it necessary, to ascertain the actual thickness thereof, and, to satisfy himself as to the strength and internal condition of a boiler, the inspector shall, if he considers it necessary, order pieces to be cut from the boiler for inspection and testing;

• (c) where stays alone prevent an inspector from entering a boiler, he shall require that they be removed to permit access to the boiler and shall see them properly replaced after the inspection has been completed, and where any other part of a boiler is so constructed that the inspector cannot inspect it to his satisfaction, he may refer the matter to the Chairman;

• (d) where a boiler is so placed that the outside of the bottom cannot be inspected, the inspector shall order the boiler to be lifted for examination as often as he considers necessary; particular attention shall be paid to the part of the boiler shell in contact with the chocks, and if signs of heavy corrosion are noticed the boiler shall be lifted clear of the chocks for examination so that the inspector may satisfy himself as to its condition; where an owner objects to the lifting of a boiler at the request of an inspector, the matter shall be referred to the Chairman;

• (e) all mountings, where there is no valve or cock between the mountings and the boiler, and all gauge glass fittings shall be inspected;

• (f) all other principal valves and cocks shall be examined externally, and inspected if the inspector considers it necessary;

• (g) oil fuel installations shall be tested under working conditions and a general inspection made of the fuel tank valves, deck control gear and oil discharge pipes between the pumps and the furnaces;

• (h) hydraulic tests shall be carried out on any boiler, boiler mounting or other part, as required by the inspector, and the test pressure shall not be more than that set out in Schedule III;

• (i) the working pressure allowed on a boiler shall in no circumstances be increased unless authorized by the Chairman and, where an inspector is of the opinion that an increased pressure could be allowed with safety, he shall communicate with the inspector who last inspected the boiler and if, on learning why the existing pressure was given, he is still of the opinion that it might be increased, he shall communicate all the facts of the matter to the Chairman; and

• (j) at all periodic inspections the inspector shall decide, after such inspection as he considers necessary in the circumstances, the maximum pressure that may be carried on all boilers and other pressure vessels and the safety valves shall be set, in his presence, to blow off at a pressure not exceeding that maximum pressure.