Galley duct and fryer fire systems on ships (SOLAS II-2)

Start here

On the morning of 21 August 1998, the cruise ship Edinburgh Castle was on passage from Lisbon to Liverpool with 1,000 passengers and 500 crew. A fire patrol found a fire in the main galley, at a group of three deep-fat fryers. The power contactor of one fryer had welded closed, so the heating never switched off; the fat overheated and ignited. The fire spread into the ventilation ducting. It took several attempts with portable extinguishers, the automatic sprinklers and the steam smothering system in the duct, and one hour, to put it out. The galley’s fire detection loop had been shut down, and nobody could tell from the drawings or labels which damper control served which duct.

Galleys combine everything a fire needs: hot oil, grease-coated ducts that act as a chimney, and people working fast. SOLAS treats the fryer and the exhaust duct as fire hazards in their own right, each with its own fixed protection. This lesson shows what they are and how to keep them working.

Continue this lesson free

The rest of this lesson, the interactive Galley walk-round on a cargo ship built in 2018 and the quiz are open to signed-up learners. It's free, takes a minute, and opens every lesson in all 14 courses.

Full name

Work email

Company

Your role

Country

Email me when new courses and rule changes come out. You can stop them at any time.

We use your details to save your progress and to understand who uses the Academy. Already signed up? Get a sign-in link.

In this lesson

Try it: Galley walk-round on a cargo ship built in 2018
In plain words
In detail
What the rules say
Flag and class notes
Key numbers
What inspectors find
Questions people ask
Quiz: 6 questions

Sources

1 IMO Resolution MSC.99(73), revised SOLAS chapter II-2 (adopted 5 December 2000, in force 1 July 2002), regulation II-2/10.6.4. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.99(73).pdf
2 IMO Resolution MSC.365(93), Amendments to SOLAS 1974 (adopted 22 May 2014, in force 1 January 2016), annex, regulation II-2/9.7 (ventilation systems), paragraphs 7.1.2, 7.1.4 and 7.5. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.365(93).pdf
3 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1432, Revised guidelines for the maintenance and inspection of fire protection systems and appliances (31 May 2012), as amended by MSC.1/Circ.1516, annex, paragraphs 6.3, 7.6 and 7.13 (consolidated copy annexed to Cayman Islands Shipping Notice 01/2014 Rev 2). https://www.cishipping.com/system/files/notices/documents/CISN%202014_01%20Rev%202%20with%20Annex.pdf
4 International Code for Fire Safety Systems (FSS Code), chapter 9 as replaced by resolution MSC.311(88), paragraph 2.4.2.4. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.311(88).pdf
5 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1433, Unified interpretations of SOLAS regulation II-2/10.6.4 and chapter 9 of the FSS Code (31 May 2012), paragraph 1.1. https://www.deutsche-flagge.de/de/redaktion/dokumente/interpretationen/solas/ii-2/msc-1-circ-1433-unified-interpretations-of-solas-regulation-ii-2-10-6-4-and-chapter-9-of-the-fss-code.pdf
6 Bahamas Maritime Authority, Marine Notice 79, Firefighting Equipment, version 2.2 (20 November 2025), paragraphs 4.1 and 4.6. https://www.classnk.or.jp/hp/pdf/activities/statutory/solas/solas_treaty/fire_protection/circular/ci_fi_bahama.pdf
7 Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, Marine Notice 2-011-14 (Rev. Aug/2025), section 12 and Appendix A. https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MN-2-011-14.pdf
8 UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Report of investigation into fire in main galley of Edinburgh Castle on 21 August 1998, synopsis, sections 1.7 and 3. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/547c71a5ed915d4c0d000143/edinburgh_castle_fire.pdf
9 IMO Resolution A.1186(33), Survey guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), 2023, annex, (EA) 1.2.2.10 and (EP) 1.3.2.5. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1186(33).pdf

Free awareness training. Al Safwan Marine is not an approved training provider, so no certificate is given, and these courses are not a qualification. They don't replace STCW training, manufacturer training or the certification technicians need for this work. The manufacturer's manual and your flag's rules always come first.

This lesson is also published by our sister site vslsafety.com.