Ship fire hoses, hydrants and shore connection rules

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The fire main is the one fire-fighting system every ship relies on, and the hose and nozzle are where the crew meet it. In the 2023 fire safety campaign, Tokyo MOU inspectors found fire main valves that did not work on 149 ships and detained 25 of them. Another 38 ships could not show that a fire pump delivered the two required jets of water.⁵ In a real fire, a seized hydrant valve or a burst hose length costs minutes the crew does not have.

In port, the international shore connection lets the shore fire brigade pump water into the ship’s fire main whatever couplings the ship uses. It only works if the flange, bolts and gasket are on board, the right size and easy to find. This lesson covers the hardware, the numbers and the test cycle.

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In this lesson

Try it: A hydrant station and the international shore connection
In plain words
In detail
What the rules say
Flag and class notes
Key numbers
What inspectors find
Work it out: a calculator
Questions people ask
Quiz: 6 questions

Sources

1 IMO Resolution MSC.99(73), revised SOLAS chapter II-2, adopted 5 December 2000, regulation II-2/10.2 (fire mains, hydrants, pumps, hoses and nozzles; consolidated numbering). https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.99(73).pdf
2 IMO Resolution MSC.98(73), International Code for Fire Safety Systems (FSS Code), adopted 5 December 2000, chapter 2, international shore connections, table 2.1 and paragraph 2.2. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.98(73).pdf
3 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1432, Revised guidelines for the maintenance and inspection of fire protection systems and appliances, 31 May 2012, paragraphs 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 (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 IMO Resolution MSC.47(66), Adoption of amendments to SOLAS 1974 (revised chapter III), adopted 4 June 1996, regulation III/19.3.4. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.47(66).pdf
5 Tokyo MOU, Report of the 2023 Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety, tables 1 and 3 (questions 6 and 9; deficiency code 07113). https://www.tokyo-mou.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/CIC-ON-FIRE-SAFETY-2023-Report-public.pdf
6 Liberia Maritime Authority, Marine Notice FIR-001 Rev. 02/26, Fire-protection systems and appliances, sections 1.4 to 1.6. https://www.liscr.com/sites/default/files/online_library/FIR-001.pdf
7 Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, Marine Notice 2-011-14 Rev. Aug/2025, Appendix A. https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MN-2-011-14.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.