This subpart prescribes requirements for approval of portable foam applicators, each consisting of a portable foam nozzle, eductor, pick-up tube, and a portable supply of foam concentrate, in ro-ro spaces and certain machinery spaces, as required by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

(a) Certain material is incorporated by reference into this part with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce any edition other than that specified in this section, the Coast Guard must publish a notice of change in the Federal Register and the material must be available to the public. All approved material is available for inspection at the U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Design and Engineering Standards (CG-ENG), 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Stop 7509, Washington, DC 20593-7509, and is available from the sources listed below. It is also available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030 or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html.

(b) UL (formerly Underwriters Laboratories), 12 Laboratory Drive, P.O. Box 13995, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, 919-549-1400, http://www.ul.com.

(1) UL 162, Standard for Safety for Foam Equipment and Liquid Concentrates, Seventh Edition, dated March 30, 1994, as amended through October 10, 2014, IBR approved for §§ 162.163-3(d) through (f), and 162.163-4(a) and (c).

(2) [Reserved]

(a) The portable foam applicator must produce foam suitable for extinguishing an oil fire at a minimum foam solution rate of 200 l/min (53 gpm).

(b) The portable foam applicator must have a portable tank containing 20 liters or more of foam concentrate, along with one 20-liter spare tank. Five gallon (19 liter) foam concentrate pails are an acceptable substitute for the 20-liter tanks.

(c) Requirements for carriage of portable foam applicators may be met by the carriage of either:

(1) Portable foam applicators in accordance with this subpart, with either integral or separate eductors of fixed percentage and foam concentrate designed, constructed, tested, marked, and approved in accordance with the provisions of this section; or

(2) Components and foam concentrate from deck and heli-deck foam systems approved under approval series 162.033 of this part. Suitable components include mechanical foam nozzles with pick-up tubes, and mechanical foam nozzles with separate inline eductors, along with the corresponding foam concentrate.

(d) Each portable foam applicator to be approved under the provisions of this subpart must be of brass or bronze, except for hardware and other incidental parts which may be of rubber, plastic, or stainless steel and, in combination with a foam concentrate, must be designed, constructed, tested, and marked in accordance with the requirements of UL 162 (incorporated by reference, see § 162.163-1).

(e) All inspections and tests required by UL 162 must be performed by an independent laboratory accepted by the Coast Guard under subpart 159.010 of this chapter. A list of independent laboratories accepted by the Coast Guard as meeting subpart 159.010 of this chapter may be obtained by contacting the Commandant (CG-ENG-4) or at http://cgmix.uscg.mil/eqlabs/.

(f) The independent laboratory must prepare a report on the results of the testing and must furnish the manufacturer with a copy of the test report upon completion of the testing required by UL 162.

(a) Portable foam applicators designed, constructed, tested, and marked in accordance with UL 162 (incorporated by reference, see § 162.163-1) are eligible for approval under the provisions of this chapter.

(b) A follow-up program must be established and maintained to ensure that no unauthorized changes have been made to the design or manufacture of type approved portable foam applicators. Acceptable follow-up programs include factory inspection programs administered by the accepted independent laboratory that performed the initial inspections and tests relied on by the type approval holder, or special configuration control programs implemented through a quality control flow chart and core procedures administered by the manufacturer and certified by an international standards agency such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

(c) Applicants seeking type approval of portable foam applicators must submit:

(1) A cover letter requesting type approval of the equipment;

(2) A test report from the accepted independent laboratory showing compliance of the portable foam applicator with UL 162;

(3) A copy of the contract for a follow-up program with the accepted independent laboratory; and

(4) Documentation of the portable foam applicator, including an exterior drawing, assembly drawing, components list, and bill of material.

(d) All documentation must either be mailed to Commandant (CG-ENG-4), United States Coast Guard, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Stop 7509, Washington, DC 20593-7509 or electronically submitted to [email protected].

(e) Upon evaluation of the submittal package and approval by the Commandant, a Coast Guard Certificate of Approval will be issued valid for 5 years so long as the follow-up program for the portable foam applicators is maintained.

(f) Upon application, a Certificate of Approval for a portable foam applicator may be renewed for successive 5-year periods without further testing so long as no changes have been made to the products, the follow-up program has been maintained, and no substitutions of or changes to the standards listed in § 162.027-2 have been made.