Vessel Sanitation Program Construction Guidelines Draft final for clearance April 2011
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- 3.3 Final Construction Inspections
- 4.0 Equipment Standards, Testing, and Certification
- 5.0 General Definitions and Acronyms
3.2 On-Site Construction InspectionsVSP conducts most on-site or shipyard construction inspections in shipyards outside the United States. A formal written request must be submitted to the VSP Chief at least 45 days before the inspection date so that VSP can process the required foreign travel orders for VSP officers (see section 3.0). A sample of a request is shown in section 39.1. A completed vessel profile sheet must also be submitted with the request for the on-site inspection (section 41.1). VSP encourages shipyards to contact the VSP Chief to and coordinate on-site construction inspections well before the 45 day minimum to better plan the actual inspection dates. If a shipyard requests an on-site construction inspection, VSP will advise the vessel owner of the inspection dates so that the owner’s representatives are present. An on-site construction inspection normally requires the expertise of one to three officers, depending on the size of the vessel and whether it is the first of a hull design class or a subsequent hull in a series of the same class of vessels. The inspection, including travel, generally takes 5 working days. The on-site inspection should be conducted approximately 4 to 5 weeks before delivery of the vessel when 90% of the areas of the vessel to be inspected are completed. VSP will provide a written report to the party that requested the inspection. After the inspection, and before the ship’s arrival in the United States, the shipyard will submit to VSP a statement of corrective action outlining how it will address and correct each item identified in the inspection report. 3.3 Final Construction InspectionsAt the request of a vessel owner or shipyard, VSP may conduct a final construction inspection. The final construction inspection is to be conducted only after construction is 100% complete and the ship is fully operational. This inspection is for evaluating the findings of the previous yard inspection, assessment of all areas which were incomplete in the previous yard inspection, and to evaluate performance tests on those systems which could not be tested in the previous yard visit. Those systems include but are not limited to ventilation for cooking, holding, and warewashing areas, artificial light levels, temperatures in cold or hot holding equipment, halogen and other chemistry measures for potable water or recreational water systems. To schedule the inspection, the vessel owner or shipyard will submit a formal, written request to the VSP Chief as soon as possible after the vessel is completed, or a minimum of 10 days before its arrival in the United States. At the request of a vessel owner or shipyard and provided the vessel is not entering the United States market immediately, VSP may conduct final construction inspections outside the United States (see requirements for foreign travel in section 3.2 On-Site Construction Inspections). If a final construction inspection is not requested, VSP generally will conduct an unannounced operational inspection within 4 weeks following the vessel’s arrival in the United States. VSP conducts operational inspections in accordance with the VSP Operations Manual. As soon as possible after the final construction inspection, the vessel owner or shipyard will submit a statement of corrective action to VSP. The statement will outline how they will address each item cited in the inspection report, including the projected date of completion. VSP generally schedules vessels that undergo final construction inspection in the United States for an unannounced operational inspection within 4 weeks of the vessel’s final construction inspection. VSP conducts operational inspections in accordance with the VSP Operations Manual. 4.0 Equipment Standards, Testing, and CertificationAlthough these guidelines establish certain standards for equipment and materials installed on cruise vessels, VSP does not test, certify, or otherwise endorse or approve any equipment or materials used by the cruise industry. Instead, VSP recognizes certification from independent testing laboratories such as NSF International, Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and other recognized independent international testing institutions. In most cases, independent testing laboratories test equipment and materials to certain minimum standards which generally, but not always meet the recommended standards established by these guidelines. Equipment built to questionable standards will be reviewed by a committee consisting of the VSP, the cruise ship industry and independent testing organization participants. The committee will determine if the equipment meets the recommended standards established in these guidelines. Copies of test or certification standards are available from the independent testing laboratories. Equipment manufacturers and suppliers should not contact the VSP to approve their products. 5.0 General Definitions and Acronyms5.1 General Definitions Terms defined in section 5.0 are identified in the text of these guidelines by small capital letters, or small caps. For example: section 6.4.1.1.a states “Seal seams greater than 0.8 mm (1/32 inch), but less than 3 mm (1/8 inch), with an appropriate sealant or appropriate profile strips.” Seam and sealant are in small caps and are defined in section 5.0. Accessible: Exposed for cleaning and inspection with the use of simple tools such as a screwdriver, pliers, or wrench. Adequate: Sufficient in number, features or capacity to accomplish the purpose for which something is intended and to such a degree that there is no unreasonable risk to health or safety. Air break: A piping arrangement in which a drain from a fixture, appliance, or device discharges indirectly into another fixture, receptacle, or interceptor at a point below the flood-level rim (Figure 1). Air gap: (AG)The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet supplying water to a tank, plumbing fixture, or other device and the flood-level rim of the receptacle or receiving fixture. The air gap must be at least twice the inside diameter of the supply pipe or faucet and not less than 25 mm (1 inch) (Figure 2). Manufactured air gaps must be certified by a recognized plumbing or engineering organization. Approved: Acceptable based on a determination of conformity with principles, practices, and generally recognized standards that protect public health such as American National Standards Institute (ANSI),National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), or American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) standards, federal regulations or equivalent international standards and regulations. Further evaluation may be made by VSP to ensure acceptability for use on cruise vessels. 
Figure 2 
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