The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport published specifications for new portable radios required under SOLAS Chapter II-2, Regulation 10.10.4 – ‘Fire Fighters Communication’. This regulation aims to improve safety by securing dedicated communication systems for fire parties onboard vessels.
All radios dedicated to fire parties on board Italian flagged SOLAS vessels must comply with RED (directive 2014/53/UE) or RTTE (directive 1999/05/CE) for equipment sold before 13 June 2017.
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Radios must have a declaration of conformity to refer to ETSI EN 300 720 for equipment in UHF band or ETSI EN 301 178 for equipment in VHF band and comply with the ATEX directive 2014/34/UE. The declaration of conformity must refer to EN 60079-11:2012 with radios classified at least ATEX II 2G EX ib IIB T4.
Currently, the legislation is legally binding for Italian vessels, however, there are expectations that other flag states and surveyors from around the world will base their approach on Italy’s radio specifications for Regulation 10.10.4.
Niels Peter Agdal, Director – Radio, Safety & Tracking, Cobham SATCOM, mentioned:
To avoid potential financial penalties or port delays and to support the safety of fire parties in action, we recommend that all SOLAS shipowners review the Italian specifications and act accordingly by ensuring they order maritime approved radios rated to ATEX IIB, such as the SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter.