Fire Extinguisher Servicing

Marine fire extinguisher servicing

Marine fire extinguisher servicing is the annual inspection, maintenance and recharging of the portable and wheeled extinguishers carried on board, together with the periodic hydrostatic testing of their cylinders and propellant cartridges. Extinguishers are the first line of defence against a small fire in the accommodation, galley, machinery spaces or on deck, and a unit that fails to discharge, or discharges the wrong agent, can let a small fire grow.

vslSafety arranges a local service provider to attend the vessel, service each unit on board where practicable and exchange units that need shore testing.

Regulatory requirements and standards

• SOLAS regulation II-2/10.3 sets the requirement for portable fire extinguishers and spare charges. Carbon dioxide extinguishers must not be placed in accommodation spaces.
• FSS Code chapter 4 requires approved types. Powder and CO2 extinguishers must hold at least 5 kg and foam extinguishers at least 9 litres, and no portable extinguisher may weigh more than 23 kg. Only refills approved for that extinguisher may be used.
• Resolution A.951(23), the Improved guidelines for marine portable fire extinguishers, sets out annual servicing, periodic test discharge and hydrostatic testing, and gives an inspection guide.
• MSC.1/Circ.1275 (as corrected) is a unified interpretation of the number and arrangement of portable extinguishers, used for ships constructed on or after 1 January 2009.
• MSC.1/Circ.1432 covers wheeled (mobile) extinguishers in the fire protection maintenance plan.

Servicing should be carried out by, or under the supervision of, a person with demonstrable competence. Many flag administrations require hydrostatic testing to be done by a facility certified by a government agency or recognised organisation, and some also require the same facility to recharge the cylinder afterwards. Portable foam extinguishers are covered by the SOLAS prohibition on PFOS-containing media that applied from 1 January 2026.

Inspection and servicing intervals

Item	Requirement	Interval	Reference
All portable extinguishers	Inspection and service by a competent person	Not exceeding 1 year	A.951(23)
Each type and year of manufacture	At least one extinguisher test discharged, for example during a fire drill	5 years	A.951(23)
All extinguishers and propellant cartridges	Hydrostatic test to recognised standard or maker’s instructions	Not exceeding 10 years	A.951(23)
Wheeled extinguishers	Check in place and in proper condition	Monthly	MSC.1/Circ.1432
Wheeled extinguishers	Inspection per maker, check hydrostatic date, invert dry powder units	Annual	MSC.1/Circ.1432
Wheeled extinguishers	Visual examination of one of each type per manufacture year; hydrostatic test of all	5 years; 10 years	MSC.1/Circ.1432

What the service includes

• Inventory check against the fire control plan and MSC.1/Circ.1275 arrangement, including location, type and size
• External examination of cylinders for corrosion, dents and damaged paint or markings
• Checks of safety pins, seals, discharge hoses, nozzles, horns and mounting brackets
• Weighing of CO2 extinguishers and gas cartridges, and pressure checks of stored-pressure units
• Opening of cartridge-operated units, checking dry powder for caking and moisture, and inspecting internal parts
• Recharging after discharge or where the agent has reached the end of its maker-specified life
• Hydrostatic testing of cylinders and cartridges when due, with permanent marking of the test date
• Replacement of O-rings, labels and service tags, and fitting of dated inspection labels
• Check of spare charges carried on board

Equipment types covered

Providers service dry powder (ABC and BC), carbon dioxide, foam, water and wet chemical extinguishers, in both stored-pressure and cartridge-operated designs, plus wheeled units used in machinery spaces and on helicopter decks. Common marine makes include Gloria, Minimax and Naffco, as well as a wide range of type-approved Asian makes. Where the extinguisher is of an unfamiliar make, the provider needs to confirm that approved refills and spare parts are available.

Common defects and PSC deficiencies

• Service label expired, or no record of the last annual service
• Hydrostatic test date overdue or not marked on the cylinder
• Pressure gauge reading outside the green band, or CO2 extinguisher below its marked weight
• Missing safety pin or seal, suggesting partial discharge
• Corroded, dented or bulging cylinders, particularly on open deck
• Cracked hoses or blocked nozzles
• CO2 extinguishers found in accommodation spaces
• Number, type or position not matching the fire control plan, or spare charges missing
• Foam extinguishers without evidence of PFOS-free charge

Certificates and documents you receive

• Service certificate listing each extinguisher by location, type, capacity, serial number and service date
• Hydrostatic test certificates for cylinders and cartridges tested
• Record of units recharged, replaced or condemned
• Updated service labels fitted to each extinguisher
• Declaration of PFOS-free foam charges where supplied

How to prepare the vessel

Send the extinguisher list with locations and last service and hydrostatic test dates. Crew can collect units to a central servicing point, such as a workshop or deck store, but every location should keep cover while its unit is being serviced. The provider may bring exchange extinguishers where cylinders need to go ashore. Arrange gangway access and confirm how many spare charges are on board, since these are often used to recharge units after servicing.

Information needed for a quotation

• Vessel name, IMO number, flag and class
• Port, ETA and ETD, and whether alongside or at anchor
• Number of extinguishers by type and size, including wheeled units
• Maker and model where known
• Last annual service date and oldest hydrostatic test date
• Number of spare charges on board
• Whether new extinguishers or refills should be supplied

vslSafety coordinates a suitable provider at the vessel’s port and returns a quotation covering servicing, testing and any replacements. For CO2 cylinders from fixed systems, see cylinder hydrostatic testing and recharging; for a full fire safety package see fire fighting systems and equipment.

Frequently asked questions

How often must marine fire extinguishers be serviced?

Resolution A.951(23) recommends that marine portable fire extinguishers are inspected in line with the maker’s instructions and serviced at intervals not exceeding one year. In addition, at least one extinguisher of each type and year of manufacture should be test discharged every five years, and all extinguishers and propellant cartridges should be hydrostatically tested at intervals not exceeding ten years. Flag administrations may add their own requirements, so check the flag circular.

Can the ship’s crew service fire extinguishers?

A.951(23) allows servicing by, or under the supervision of, a competent person, which can be a trained crew member. In practice many owners use a shore service company for the annual service because of labelling, spare parts and record requirements. Hydrostatic testing and recharging of CO2 extinguishers need shore facilities, and many flags require those facilities to be certified by the administration or a recognised organisation.

How many spare charges are required?

SOLAS requires spare charges for extinguishers that can be recharged on board, commonly 100% for the first ten extinguishers of each type and 50% for the remainder, up to a maximum of 60. For extinguishers that cannot be recharged on board, additional extinguishers of the same type and capacity are carried instead. Recharging instructions must be available on board.

Are CO2 fire extinguishers allowed in accommodation spaces?

No. SOLAS regulation II-2/10.3 prohibits carbon dioxide extinguishers in accommodation spaces because of the asphyxiation risk in small, enclosed cabins. They are commonly placed near electrical switchboards, in control stations and in machinery spaces. Where a CO2 unit is found in the accommodation during an inspection, it should be relocated and replaced with a suitable type shown on the fire control plan.

What happens to extinguishers that fail inspection?

Units with corroded, dented or bulging cylinders, failed hydrostatic tests or unobtainable spare parts are condemned and replaced. The provider records the serial number and the reason, and the unit should be landed for disposal rather than kept on board. Replacements must be of an approved type and equivalent capacity.