As decreed by the The Maritime Safety Committee under the SOLAS regulation II-2/10.
In order to comply with the new fire safety regulations ships will be required to have a specified number of firefighters based upon the number of crew and size of the ship, each party of firefighters on board must have a minimum of two ATEX certified PMR ( personal mobile radios ) for communications during an emergency.

The new safety at sea regulations

For ships constructed on or after 1 July 2014, a minimum of two two-way portable radio/telephone apparatus for each fire party for fire-fighter’s communication shall be carried on board.
Those two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus shall be of an explosion-proof type or intrinsically safe.
Ships constructed before 1 July 2014 shall comply with the requirements of this paragraph not later than the first survey after 1 July 2018

Explosion proof/ IS ( Intrinsically Safe ) personal radios are referred to in the UK and Europe as ATEX, these are designed not only to withstand hazardous conditions, but not to cause hazard. They do not create internal sparks which could be a source of ignition.

So, we see that whilst it has been necessary up until recently for all new boats to be equipped as a matter of course with ATEX compliant two way radios; after July 2018 it will be necessary for all boats in British waters to comply with the SOLAS regulations and equip themselves with the relevant number of ATEX two way radios.

Best4Systems has many years experience in the provisioning of telecommunications equipment for hazardous environments and is happy to be able to supply ATEX PMRs in order to make your ship safer and in respect to the SOLAS regulation II-2/10.

Buying the right SOLAS equipment

We have put together some all inclusive packages to help you meet the SOLAS regulations – and of course to make any unfortunate fires at sea more safely manageable such as the Sailor 3965 UHF Fire Fighter EX ATEX Radio + PTT + Headset Solution which includes the Sailor Personal Mobile radio ( PMR ) and a Peltor Headset ( also ATEX approved ) along with a Push to Talk ( PTT ) adaptor to allow quick, efficient and safe communications in the case of emergency.

View the products here SOLAS Approved ATEX PMRs, call us on 0844 824 6664 or get in touch with a member of our team who will be happy to offer sound advice.

Cobham are a specialist provider of Maritime Personal Radios – the Sailor range being trusted worldwide

About SOLAS

SOLAS stands for Safety Of Life At Sea – more information can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOLAS_Convention