Division .7.1 F1

Each power-operated sliding watertight door:

1. .1

   shall have a vertical or horizontal motion;

2. .2

   shall, subject to paragraph .11, be normally limited to a maximum clear width of 1,2 metres. The Administration of the flag State may permit larger doors only to the extent considered necessary for the effective operation of the ship provided that other safety measures, including the following, are taken into consideration:

   1. .2.1

      special consideration shall be given to the strength of the door and its closing appliances in order to prevent leakages;

   2. .2.2

      the door shall be located outside the damage zone B/5;

   3. .2.3

      the door shall be kept closed when the ship is at sea, except for limited periods when absolutely necessary as determined by the Administration of the flag State;

3. .3

   shall be fitted with the necessary equipment to open and close the door using electric power, hydraulic power, or any other form of power that is acceptable to the Administration of the flag State;

4. .4

   shall be provided with an individual hand-operated mechanism. It shall be possible to open and close the door by hand at the door itself from either side, and in addition, close the door from an accessible position above the bulkhead deck with an all round crank motion or some other movement providing the same degree of safety acceptable to the Administration of the flag State. Direction of rotation or other movement is to be clearly indicated on all operating positions. The time necessary for the complete closure of the door, when operated by hand gear, shall not exceed 90 seconds with the ship in upright position;

5. .5

   shall be provided with controls for opening and closing the door by power from both sides of the door and also for closing the door by power from the central operating console at the navigating bridge;

6. .6

   shall be provided with an audible alarm, distinct from any other alarm in the area, which will sound whenever the door is closed remotely by power and which shall sound for at least 5 seconds but no more than 10 seconds before the door begins to move and shall continue sounding until the door is completely closed. In the case of remote hand operation it is sufficient for the audible alarm to sound only when the door is moving. Additionally, in passenger areas and areas of high ambient noise, the Administration of the flag State may require the audible alarm to be supplemented by an intermittent visual signal at the door; and

7. .7

   shall have an approximately uniform rate of closure under power. The closure time, from the time the door begins to move to the time it reaches the completely closed position shall in no case be less than 20 seconds and no more than 40 seconds with the ship in upright position.