SOLAS regulation II-1/22-1 states that passenger ships carrying 36 or more persons and constructed on or after 1 July 2010, must have an approved flood detection system, and sets out the functional requirements of the system. PSM’s Connect VPMS central monitoring system has been Type Approved by DNV to fully meet the needs of this directive.
In addition, our range of hydrostatic level transmitters and Bilge level detection switches are approved as suitable measuring instruments to detect ingress into watertight spaces.
The Connect system can be either supplied as a stand-alone solution dedicated to flood detection and reporting, or it may be included as part of the Connect tank contents gauging system, meaning a saving on duplication of hardware and costs.
The SOLAS regulation defines that either point level or continuous level detectors may be used and provides guidance on where and how many need to be installed. For point level detection our BLS9200 bilge level switch is used, and where continuous detection is needed our APT500 or APT1000 level transmitters are installed.
Signals from all flood detection sensors are routed to a central display which is tailored for each application to give a clear presentation of live status of all monitored points, with alarm conditions being clearly shown and an external audible alarm being activated in response to all alarms.
Typically, the alarm display will be located on the Navigation bridge, but the flexibility of the Connect system allows additional display screens to be added at as many locations as required. Each display screen can show discrete information, meaning that one may be dedicated for tank content gauging and another for flood detection.
As a safety critical function, the system must be continuously powered. To meet this, the Connect system incorporates an automatic changeover from primary to the ships back-up supply in the event of a power failure and will immediately alert system operators with a separate power failure alarm.
The regulation further defines that all detection sensors must be able to be locally tested by simulation. Our BLS9200 flood detection switch incorporates a manual test handle to facilitate this, and our hydrostatic sensors can be easily tested by application of a suitable pressure.
We hope you agree, that as a flexible, expandable, and readily incorporated into a wider tank gauging package, our Connect system provides a fully compliant and cost-effective solution for all Passenger vessel applications.
