Marine Galley Equipment and Provisions

Marine galley operations are governed by a regulatory structure that runs from Regulation 3.2 of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) through SOLAS Chapter II-2 fire protection requirements to WHO food-safety guidance. The MLC 2006 mandates free, adequate, nutritious food for every seafarer for the duration of the voyage, a weekly inspection by the master, and a certificated cook on ships with 10 or more crew. SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 9.7.5 adds a fixed fire-extinguishing system on galley hoods and ducts, with additional protection on deep-fat fryers that most class societies implement through wet-chemical K-class automatic suppression. The companion Cruise Provisions Per Pax Calculator and HVAC Galley Exhaust Rate Calculator handle the two most common quantitative galley tasks.

This article covers the MLC 2006 catering entitlement in detail, galley equipment specification, provision cold-chain management, HACCP as applied at sea, grease-duct fire risk and suppression, ventilation design, and the ships cook certification pathway. Crew accommodation welfare is addressed in the parallel article Marine Crew Accommodation and Welfare; this article does not repeat the broader Title 3 boilerplate and focuses on Regulation 3.2 and the physical galley system that delivers it.

MLC 2006 Regulation 3.2: the food and catering entitlement

Scope and the free-food principle

Regulation 3.2 of MLC 2006 applies to every ship to which the Convention applies, meaning every seagoing ship engaged in commercial activities (with specific exemptions for ships below 200 GT not on international voyages, and certain fishing vessels covered by the 2007 Work in Fishing Convention). The core principle in Standard A3.2 paragraph 1 is that ships must carry, free of charge to seafarers, food and drinking water of appropriate quality, nutritional value, and variety. “Free of charge” is unambiguous: a flag state cannot permit a catering concession arrangement that charges seafarers for meals, nor can an employment agreement offset galley costs against wages.

“Appropriate quality” is not left at a policy level. Standard A3.2 paragraph 2(a) specifies that food must account for the number of seafarers on board, their religious requirements and cultural practices, and the duration and nature of the voyage. Guideline B3.2.1 goes further: it recommends a minimum calorific value per seafarer per day (Guideline B3.2.1 para. 2 suggests daily provisions sufficient for breakfast, dinner, supper, and snacks), adequate protein including animal protein, fresh fruit and vegetables whenever practicable, and fresh bread baked daily.

Drinking water is treated as a separate obligation. Standard A3.2 paragraph 2(b) requires “sufficient supplies of drinking water of appropriate quality” maintained and available at all times. The WHO Guide to Ship Sanitation (3rd edition, 2011, Chapter 6) sets a practical minimum of 2 litres per person per day for drinking alone and recommends that shipboard water meeting the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality (4th edition, 2011) is distributed. The Shipboard Potable Water Calculator supports voyage planning for fresh water.

The weekly inspection obligation

Standard A3.2 paragraph 2(c) requires inspections of the quantities of food and water on board, the condition of all food and water, and the conditions of preparation and service of meals. These inspections must be carried out at intervals of not more than one week. The master, or a person authorized by the master, conducts the inspection and records the result in the official logbook (the specific logbook required by the flag state’s domestic implementation of MLC 2006, not the navigational log). This is a compliance record inspected during port-state control (PSC) and flag-state inspections. A ship without a weekly inspection logbook entry for the current voyage period is in breach of Standard A3.2 at the PSC stage.

The scope of the inspection covers all provisions spaces: refrigerated stores, frozen stores, dry stores, the galley itself (equipment cleanliness and condition), the mess rooms, and any canteen areas. Inspectors check temperatures in cold rooms against log records, inspect date-coding on perishables, check for pest evidence, and assess galley cleanliness. The Port State Control article covers the Paris MOU and Tokyo MOU deficiency codes relevant to MLC 2006 provisions.

Ships cook: certification, age, and training

Standard A3.2 paragraph 5 is precise: every ship with a crew of 10 or more must carry a certificated ship’s cook. The minimum age for a certificated ship’s cook is 18 years (paragraph 5(b)). Ships with a crew of fewer than 10 may have a person in charge of food preparation who does not need a cook’s certificate, but that person must still demonstrate basic food-hygiene competence.

A “certificated cook” under paragraph 5(a) means a person who holds a certificate issued or recognized by the flag state as confirming competence in cookery, food safety, and personal hygiene at sea. The MLC 2006 does not itself specify the training curriculum but delegates to flag states. ILO Recommendation R197, adopted alongside MLC 2006, recommends that the ships cook certificate programme cover: food and personal hygiene, including HACCP principles; stores management and victualling planning; cooking methods and nutritional requirements; special dietary needs; and financial management of the catering budget.

The STCW interface deserves clarity. STCW 2010 (Manila Amendments) does not include a ship’s cook certification. The ships cook qualification is purely an MLC 2006 flag-state certificate, not an STCW endorsement. The STCW Convention article details the STCW Chapter V special certificates (tanker, passenger ship, high-voltage) that are separate from the MLC catering track. Some flag states, including Liberia, Panama, and the Marshall Islands, issue their own cook certification aligned to ILO R197 training guidelines; others accept certificates from maritime training institutions provided the curriculum meets R197 recommendations.

Catering-staff work hours and MLC interaction

The ship’s cook and galley assistants are covered by MLC 2006 Standard A2.3, which sets the maximum work hours at 14 hours in any 24-hour period and 72 hours in any 7-day period, or the minimum rest hours at 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period. Galley operations typically run three meal services daily plus cleaning, which can push total daily hours to the 14-hour maximum for a solo cook on a small cargo ship. Flag states may approve collective agreements that modify the limits, but cannot go below the MLC floor. The MLC Work Hours Calculator and MLC Rest Hours Calculator implement the Standard A2.3 arithmetic.

Galley layout by vessel type

Cargo ship, bulk carrier, tanker, and container ship

A standard general cargo or bulk carrier galley serves a crew of 15 to 25. The galley occupies 40 to 80 square metres and is laid out on a linear workflow: dry stores and cold room access at one end, the cooking battery in the centre under the extraction hood, and dishwashing at the service end. The mess room for officers and the crew mess room are adjacent but separate; MLC Guideline B3.1.6 recommends separate mess rooms for officers and ratings unless the ship’s size makes this impractical.

Container ships in the 10,000-TEU range carry crews of 20 to 25, with a similar single-galley layout. The galley is almost always on the accommodation deck immediately below the officers’ saloon, which reduces the service run to less than 10 metres. Tankers, governed by SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 17.4 on the separation of galley fires from cargo areas, must site the galley in the accommodation block, which is aft of the cargo area on crude oil tankers and integrated into the central accommodation structure on chemical tankers.

Cruise ship galley structure

Cruise ships operating 2,000 to 6,000 passengers require a multi-galley system where the main production galley serves the main dining room (typically mid-ship on a main restaurant deck), and satellite preparation kitchens serve each specialty restaurant, the lido buffet, and 24-hour cabin service operations. A Panamax-class cruise ship (approximately 110,000 GT, 3,500 passengers) operates 8 to 12 distinct galley spaces with a total catering staff of 400 to 700. The main production galley in such a ship produces 8,000 to 12,000 meals per day across three services. The Cruise Provisions Per Pax Calculator scales victualling quantities against passenger and crew counts for voyage planning.

Workflow sequence and HACCP zone separation

A correctly designed galley maintains a strict forward-only flow. Raw product enters from the provisions spaces (refrigerated or dry), passes through the preparation zone (butchery, vegetable prep, pastry), moves through the cooking battery, and exits as plated food. Contaminated materials (waste, empty containers, used dishware) move on a separate return path and never cross the forward product flow. This zoning is not advisory: Codex CAC/RCP 1-1969 Principle 6 (establishment of verification procedures) and the WHO Ship Sanitation guide both identify reverse-flow contamination as a primary critical control point failure. Class surveyors and USPH (United States Public Health Service, through its Vessel Sanitation Program) inspectors check zone separation during galley surveys.

Cooking equipment: specification and marine adaptation

Cooking ranges and ovens

Commercial galley ranges aboard ships use either natural gas (LPG from cylinder banks, typically 13 kg or 48 kg cylinders), electric elements, or induction, depending on flag-state rules and operator preference. LPG installations must comply with SOLAS II-2 Regulation 4.2 on gas installations in machinery spaces; the flag state’s domestic LPG rules additionally govern cylinder stowage, gas-tight enclosures, pressure relief, and bunkering procedures. Induction has gained ground on new builds because it eliminates the open flame, reduces galley heat load by 30 to 40% compared to equivalent gas burners, and cuts the fire risk profile.

Heavy-duty restaurant-grade ranges with eight to twelve burners and adjacent open-flame griddles are standard on cargo ships feeding 20 to 25 crew. Cruise ship main galleys use modular cooking suites with 3 to 5 metre-long cooking batteries incorporating solid-top ranges, tilting griddles, and induction zones side by side, each under a continuous extraction hood.

Combination steam-convection ovens (combi-steamers) have replaced separate convection ovens and steamers in most new-build galleys since the 2000s. A combi-steamer switches between convection heat (typically 30 to 270 degrees Celsius), steam injection (30 to 130 degrees Celsius), and combined modes, allowing a single unit to roast, steam, regenerate, and proof bread. Rational SE, Electrolux Professional, and Convotherm units rated 20 to 40 gastronorm 1/1 capacity are typical on cargo ships. Cruise ship satellite kitchens may run 60-tray combi units serving a single restaurant service.

Steam-jacketed kettles use pressurized steam (typically 0.7 to 3.5 bar from the ship’s steam system or a dedicated electric steam generator) circulating in an outer jacket around the pot, allowing precise temperature control for soups, sauces, and stews. Capacities range from 60 litres on a cargo ship to 250 litres on a cruise ship production kitchen. They’re preferred for slow-cooked proteins and bulk sauce production because they heat evenly with no hot spots, reducing scorching risk.

Deep-fat fryers and the fire risk

Deep-fat fryers carry the highest single-appliance fire risk in any shipboard galley. Cooking oil at frying temperature (175 to 190 degrees Celsius) is approximately 100 degrees Celsius below its auto-ignition point (280 to 375 degrees Celsius depending on oil type), but overheating or a failed thermostat can close that margin rapidly. SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 9.7.5.3 specifically requires that deep-fat cooking equipment be fitted with a thermostat and an independent over-temperature cut-out device that deactivates the heating element before the oil reaches its auto-ignition temperature.

Class society rules go further. DNV Rules for Classification: Ships (Part 6, Chapter 4) and Lloyd’s Register Rules for Ships (applicable section on galleys) both require a listed or approved automatic wet-chemical fire suppression system covering the fryer tub, the hood above it, and the duct from the hood to the discharge point. This is distinct from the general hood suppression and must be sized for the fryer’s oil volume. The Ansul R-102 system and the Amerex KP system are the two most widely installed type-tested units for this application, each using Class K potassium-acetate chemistry that saponifies cooking oil rather than simply cooling it.

Dishwashers and sanitation equipment

Commercial high-temperature conveyor dishwashers are standard on ships with more than 20 crew. The wash cycle reaches 60 to 65 degrees Celsius with a final sanitizing rinse at 82 to 90 degrees Celsius (this rinse temperature is the physical sanitization mechanism; chemical sanitizers in low-temperature machines are the alternative). HACCP Codex Principle 3 (critical limits) applies directly: a final rinse temperature below 82 degrees Celsius on a high-temperature machine constitutes a critical control point failure and requires corrective action before the next meal service.

Potable water demand from the dishwasher is significant. A conveyor machine running two racks per minute consumes 2 to 4 litres per rack, amounting to 250 to 500 litres per hour in a busy service. The Shipboard Potable Water Calculator and Fresh Water Demand Calculator should account for this load when planning water bunkering.

Multi-compartment sinks (minimum three-compartment: wash, rinse, sanitize) handle items too large for the dishwasher and back up machine operations. The sink sanitizing compartment must maintain a disinfectant concentration appropriate to the chemical used: 200 parts per million chlorine for hypochlorite solutions, or the manufacturer-specified concentration for quaternary ammonium sanitizers.

Provision stores and cold-chain management

Refrigerated and frozen stores

Cold room temperatures for refrigerated provisions are maintained between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius in compliance with Codex CAC/RCP 1-1969 Section 5 (temperature control) and WHO Ship Sanitation Guide Chapter 6.5. Raw meat, raw fish, dairy products, and prepared foods ready for service each require their own dedicated space or, on smaller ships where a single cold room is the only option, strict vertical zoning with raw products stored below ready-to-eat products to prevent drip contamination.

Frozen stores run at -18 degrees Celsius or below, the threshold set by Codex CAC/RCP 1-1969 and adopted by the WHO ship sanitation guidance. Pork, poultry, and fish intended for long voyages are loaded frozen. A 90-day round voyage for a crew of 22 requires approximately 1.5 to 2 tonnes of frozen meat and 1 to 1.5 tonnes of frozen fish, with the exact quantities depending on the victualling rate set by the operator and the flag state’s minimum standard.

Temperature logging is a regulatory requirement, not an operational preference. Standard A3.2 paragraph 2 references the weekly inspection requirement, and temperature logs are the primary inspection evidence for cold-chain integrity. Logs must be continuous (electronic dataloggers or manually recorded twice daily), retained for a minimum duration set by the flag state (typically 90 days or the full voyage), and available on demand during PSC inspection. A gap in the log record, or a sustained temperature exceedance above 4 degrees Celsius in a cold room, constitutes a HACCP critical control point deviation requiring documented corrective action: removal of affected product, equipment repair, and re-inspection.

The Marine Refrigeration and Cargo Cooling article covers the refrigeration plant and system engineering; this section focuses on the provisions management dimension.

Dry stores

Dry stores hold ambient-temperature provisions: rice, pasta, canned goods, flour, sugar, pulses, cooking oil, and dry seasonings. Structural requirements from MLC Guideline B3.1.9 include adequate ventilation (to prevent condensation and mold), dry conditions maintained by the ship’s ventilation system, and pest-proof construction (sealed deckheads, pest-proof rims on all penetrations, no gaps at bulkhead joints). Shelving should be 15 to 30 centimetres off the deck to allow inspection and cleaning underneath; items must be stored away from bilge areas and any source of contamination.

Stock rotation on a FIFO (first-in, first-out) basis is mandatory. This sounds obvious but fails consistently in practice on ships where individual dry stores are accessed infrequently. A ship provisioned with 90 days of dry goods at the start of a voyage must ensure that items loaded three voyages previously are consumed before newer stock. Date-coding all items on receipt and marking shelf location with the delivery date on a storecard is the minimum system that survives an MLC inspection without deficiency.

Victualling rates and provisioning quantities

Victualling rates differ by flag state and operator, but converge on a planning figure of 5 to 8 kg of provisions per seafarer per day across all food categories combined (covering all three meals plus snacks, beverages, and non-food consumables such as cleaning products). The breakdown of that aggregate rate typically allocates: fresh/frozen meat 300 to 500 g/person/day; fish and seafood 150 to 250 g; fresh vegetables and fruit 600 to 900 g; dairy products 150 to 250 g; grains and starchy foods (dry weight) 250 to 350 g; fats and oils 50 to 80 g; beverages (including juice, UHT milk, hot drinks) 200 to 400 ml equivalent; and sundries (canned goods, condiments, baking supplies) making up the balance.

A cargo ship with 22 crew on a 60-day voyage requires approximately 6.6 to 10.6 tonnes of provisions across all categories. Bunkering is typically done at the departure port and supplemented at one or two intermediate calls; provisioning agents at major ports coordinate the delivery of perishables against the ship’s arrival notice. The Cruise Provisions Per Pax Calculator applies the same rate logic to passenger-carrying ships.

Food safety and HACCP aboard ships

The seven HACCP principles at sea

The Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene (CAC/RCP 1-1969, revised 2022) defines the seven-principle HACCP system that is the global standard for shipboard food safety management:

1. Conduct a hazard analysis identifying biological, chemical, and physical hazards at each step of the food handling process.
2. Determine critical control points (CCPs): steps where control can be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.
3. Establish critical limits for each CCP: the measurable value (temperature, pH, water activity) that separates safe from unsafe.
4. Establish CCP monitoring procedures: the measurement method, frequency, and responsible person.
5. Establish corrective actions: what happens when a CCP limit is breached, who decides, and how the decision is documented.
6. Establish verification procedures: confirming that the HACCP plan is working (calibration records, internal audits, end-product testing).
7. Establish documentation and record-keeping: the logbooks, temperature records, and corrective-action reports that constitute the compliance record.

At sea, the practical CCPs for a cargo ship galley cover eight recurring control points: receiving inspection (incoming provisions temperature, visible contamination, date coding); cold storage temperature (continuous log against critical limit of 4 degrees Celsius refrigerated, -18 degrees Celsius frozen); thawing procedures (refrigerator thawing or cold water below 21 degrees Celsius, never at ambient temperature); cooking temperatures (72 degrees Celsius internal for poultry, 65 degrees Celsius for red meat, 60 degrees Celsius for fish, measured by calibrated probe thermometer); hot-holding temperature (63 degrees Celsius or above at the serving point); cooling rate (60 to 21 degrees Celsius in 2 hours, 21 to 4 degrees Celsius in a further 4 hours); reheating (minimum 75 degrees Celsius throughout); and chemical sanitizer concentration at the dishwasher or pot sink.

A ship’s HACCP plan is a ship-specific document. The MLC 2006 does not mandate HACCP by name, but WHO Ship Sanitation Guide Chapter 6.6 recommends HACCP as the system for controlling food safety hazards aboard, and the US CDC Vessel Sanitation Program makes a functional HACCP plan a required element of the VSP Operations Manual for cruise ships. Flag states including the Bahamas and Marshall Islands explicitly reference HACCP in their MLC 2006 domestic implementation guidance.

Probe thermometry and calibration

Every galley must have at least one calibrated food-probe thermometer. Calibration against a reference standard (ice-water slurry at 0 degrees Celsius and boiling water at the altitude-corrected boiling point, or against a NIST-traceable reference thermometer) must be recorded at the start of each voyage and after any event that might have damaged the probe. Probes that cannot be calibrated to within plus or minus 1 degree Celsius of the reference must be replaced. A galley inspection that finds an uncalibrated or damaged probe thermometer with no record of recent calibration is a HACCP verification failure.

WHO ship sanitation and port-health inspection

The WHO Guide to Ship Sanitation (3rd edition, 2011) is the primary international reference for port-health officers conducting ship sanitation inspections under the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR 2005). Chapter 6 covers food safety across 14 sections addressing the same CCPs as the HACCP system. Port-health officers in IHR-compliant states issue Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificates (SSCEC) or Ship Sanitation Control Certificates (SSCC) following inspection; a ship without a valid SSCEC or SSCC faces control measures at every covered port. Certificate validity is 6 months. Any ship entering port with an expired sanitation certificate and no credible explanation (e.g. a certificate that expired during an extended voyage with no port calls) will be boarded and inspected before clearance.

Food safety deficiencies noted during WHO sanitation inspection feed back to the flag state and, through the IHR 2005 network, to the IMO. They can also trigger MLC 2006 PSC deficiency codes. The Port State Control and Flag State and Flag of Convenience articles address how these inspection streams interact.

Galley ventilation and grease-duct fire risk

Ventilation requirements

Galley ventilation is required by SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 9.2 (mechanical ventilation in spaces where gas or vapour can accumulate) and by class rules that derive from it. The extract system must maintain negative pressure in the cooking zone relative to adjacent spaces: any air movement at the galley boundary must be inward, ensuring that grease-laden vapors and combustion products don’t migrate to surrounding areas. The HVAC Air Change Rate Calculator, HVAC Galley Exhaust Rate Calculator, and HVAC Ventilation Rate Calculator implement the standard formulas for galley extract sizing.

The extract volume for cooking equipment is sized on the capture velocity at the hood face. Minimum capture velocity for light cooking (electric griddles, steamers) is 0.25 to 0.35 metres per second at the face; for heavy cooking with open-flame ranges and fryers, 0.4 to 0.5 metres per second. A typical ship’s galley with a 4 metre hood above a cooking battery sized for 20 crew requires 3,000 to 5,000 cubic metres per hour of extract. Cruise ship production kitchens run 30,000 to 80,000 cubic metres per hour across multiple hood zones.

Supply air is delivered at low velocity (0.15 to 0.25 metres per second at the face of the cooking equipment) from the sides or ceiling of the galley, not directly into the hood, to avoid disrupting the thermal plume that carries grease and combustion products up into the extraction system. The Marine HVAC Systems article addresses the broader ship HVAC design; the galley extract is a subsystem of that.

Hood and filter design

Galley hoods must be constructed of steel (not aluminum, which softens at cooking-fire temperatures), with a minimum sheet thickness of 1.5 mm for the hood body. The filter section holds either baffle filters or mesh-type grease filters, both of which must be accessible for cleaning or replacement without tools. Baffle filters are preferred for heavy cooking because they’re self-draining: grease films run down to a collection trough rather than saturating a mesh substrate that blocks airflow. Filters must be cleaned weekly in heavy-use galleys and at least monthly in light-use galleys, with the cleaning record kept as part of the ship’s maintenance log.

The grease trap at the base of the filter section collects the drainage from baffle filters and the runoff from wet-chemical suppression discharge during a fire event. It must be large enough to hold the full suppression discharge volume without overflow: most approved hood systems specify the trap volume in the installation instructions. An overflowing grease trap during suppression system discharge has caused secondary contamination events in several galley fire incidents.

Duct construction, fire resistance, and cleaning

SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 9.7.5 requires that galley exhaust ducts passing through accommodation or service spaces be enclosed in a Class A-60 fire division for their full length, or that the duct itself be constructed to maintain structural integrity for 60 minutes under fire exposure. The duct is required to have smooth internal surfaces (welded rather than flanged joints inside the fire division, or flanged joints with internal sleeves so that grease doesn’t accumulate at gaps), and must be provided with access panels at maximum 3-metre intervals or at every change of direction for cleaning access.

Grease accumulation inside ducts is the second most common fire cause in ship galleys, after oil overheating in fryers. A duct that hasn’t been cleaned for six months on a busy cargo ship may carry 5 to 15 mm of grease film on its interior surfaces. That film constitutes a continuous fuel source that can sustain a duct fire for 10 to 30 minutes even after the cooking oil fire that started it has been extinguished at the hood level. Duct cleaning frequency should be determined by visual inspection at the access panels: if the grease layer exceeds 2 mm at any accessible point, cleaning is overdue regardless of the calendar interval.

The Marine Fire Detection and Fixed Fire Fighting Systems and SOLAS Chapter II-2 articles address the broader fire safety system; the galley duct is the most fire-risk-dense element within that system.

Galley fire suppression: SOLAS and class requirements

Fixed suppression in hood and duct

SOLAS Chapter II-2 Regulation 9.7.5.1 requires a fixed fire-extinguishing system in the galley exhaust system (the duct and the cooking equipment zone below the hood). The applicable standard for type approval of these systems is IMO Resolution A.800(19) “Revised Guidelines for Approval of Sprinkler Systems Equivalent to that Referred to in SOLAS Regulation II-2/12” for water-mist systems, and IMO MSC/Circ.1108 “Revised Guidelines for the Approval of Fixed Water-Based Local Application Fire-Fighting Systems for Use in Category A Machine Spaces” for water-based systems. For wet-chemical K-class systems on cooking equipment, the applicable test standard is UL 300 (United States) or EN 15182 (Europe), with IMO MSC Circular 1009 providing guidance on equivalence for type-approval purposes.

The wet-chemical system works by discharging a potassium-acetate or potassium-citrate solution from nozzles positioned above the cooking surface, inside the hood, and at the duct inlet. The chemistry does two things: it cools the oil surface below the auto-ignition temperature, and it reacts with the oil to form a soapy foam blanket (saponification) that seals the surface from oxygen. The fire pump capacity for the galley suppression circuit is separate from the main fire pump system: the Fire Pump Capacity (SOLAS) calculator handles the SOLAS fire pump sizing, but the galley suppression system is a self-contained pressurized cylinder bank with no dependence on the main fire pump.

Deep-fryer specific requirements

Deep-fat fryers require additional protection beyond the general hood system. SOLAS II-2 Reg. 9.7.5.3 mandates a thermostat on each fryer and an independent over-temperature cut-out that de-energizes the heating element before oil reaches auto-ignition. The cut-out is a mechanical or electronic device that operates at 230 to 260 degrees Celsius (set below the auto-ignition temperature of the oil in use) independently of the main thermostat. It cannot be reset without a deliberate manual action by the operator, preventing automatic restart after a thermal event.

Class rules (DNV, Lloyd’s Register, ABS) uniformly require that the wet-chemical suppression system protecting the fryer be sized for the fryer’s full oil capacity. Typical commercial marine fryers hold 15 to 30 litres of oil; the suppression system must deliver enough agent to cover the full surface area of the fryer tub and the hood above it as a single zone. Automatic activation (triggered by a fusible link rated at 96 to 130 degrees Celsius in the hood) must simultaneously cut power to the fryer and all other cooking equipment in the battery, close the fresh-air supply damper (to remove the oxygen supply feeding the fire from the ventilation system), and activate an alarm at the bridge.

Manual activation must also be available at the suppression system panel, which must be located outside the galley (at the galley entrance, accessible without entering the fire space). The Fire Portable Extinguisher Count and Fire CO2 Cylinder Bank calculators handle related suppression calculations; for galley suppression specifically, the cylinder bank sizing is defined by the manufacturer’s type-approval data for the specific hood and duct geometry.

Dampers, interlocks, and post-event procedure

The supply air and extract ventilation system must be fitted with fire dampers that close automatically on activation of the suppression system. This is specified in SOLAS II-2 Regulation 9.7.5.2: both supply and extract must be closed to starve the duct fire of oxygen and prevent smoke propagation into the accommodation. After suppression system activation, the duct must not be re-opened until a full internal inspection has confirmed no remaining fire and no structural damage to the duct lining. Re-entry to the galley must follow the ship’s fire response procedure, typically requiring at least two crew in appropriate personal protective equipment and confirmation of atmospheric conditions using appropriate gas detection equipment.

MLC 2006 inspections and port-state control

Flag-state survey of catering arrangements

Flag states are required by MLC 2006 Article V and Standard A5.1.3 to inspect ships flying their flag for compliance with all MLC 2006 titles, including Title 3 Regulation 3.2. A flag state inspector visiting the galley will check: the weekly inspection logbook (checking for continuous entries covering the current and previous voyages); the ships cook certificate (validity, issuing authority, flag-state recognition); cold room and freezer temperature records (continuity, values against critical limits); HACCP documentation (or equivalent food safety system documentation); and provisions quantities against the planned voyage duration.

The inspection also covers the physical condition of galley equipment, the cleanliness of food preparation surfaces, pest evidence, and the condition of refrigerated stores including the internal surfaces for mold or contamination residues. An inspector who finds a cold room at 8 degrees Celsius with no corrective action record, an expired cook certificate with no replacement, and no weekly inspection log entries for the past three weeks has grounds to issue a substantial deficiency notice that can detain the ship.

PSC and the MLC 2006 deficiency code system

Port-state control officers (PSCOs) from Paris MOU, Tokyo MOU, and other regional agreement states inspect for MLC 2006 compliance. The PSCO codes for Regulation 3.2 deficiencies are recorded in the PSC information systems (THETIS for Paris MOU, APCIS for Tokyo MOU) and are publicly available. The most frequently cited Regulation 3.2 deficiencies across Paris MOU data for 2022 to 2024 are: inadequate food quantities for the planned voyage; cold room temperature above the permitted limit; no certificated cook on ships with 10 or more crew; and missing weekly inspection records.

A ship with three or more substantive MLC deficiencies across multiple regulations is eligible for detention. A ship with recurring MLC catering deficiencies across successive port calls is likely to receive an expanded inspection on the next call, increasing the likelihood of detention. The Port State Control article provides the deficiency thresholds and detention criteria in full. The Flag State and Flag of Convenience article addresses how flag-state inspection capacity affects the baseline compliance level for specific flags.

Comparison: galley arrangements by vessel type

The following table summarizes the galley equipment and regulatory compliance burden across five common vessel categories:

Galley management procedures

Provisioning planning

Provisioning planning starts with the voyage plan: number of seafarers on board, voyage duration in days, intermediate ports where provisions can be taken, and any special dietary requirements (religious, medical, or allergy-related) declared by the crew. From these inputs, the total quantity of each provision category is calculated against the operator’s victualling rate. The victualling rate is expressed as a daily allowance per person and should be reviewed against the flag state’s minimum standard for Standard A3.2 compliance.

At the departure port, the provisions list is submitted to the provisioning agent at least 48 hours before the ship’s arrival to allow time for sourcing. On arrival, the chief cook or catering officer conducts the receiving inspection: every delivery item is checked for date coding, physical condition, temperature (measured by probe thermometer on refrigerated and frozen items), and quantity against the order. Items that don’t pass the receiving inspection are rejected, and the corrective action (rejection, return, substitution) is documented in the HACCP receiving log. The Maintenance Safety Stock Calculator applies to spare parts inventory management aboard, but the same reorder-point logic applies to provisions management: a minimum safety stock of 7 to 14 days of provisions above the planned voyage supply is standard practice.

Menu planning and dietary requirements

MLC Standard A3.2 paragraph 2(a) requires that cultural practices and religious requirements of seafarers be taken into account when planning food. On a ship with a mixed Filipino, Indian, and European crew, this means providing pork-free protein sources alongside pork dishes, halal-certified meat for Muslim crew, and adequate rice at every meal for Asian seafarers. The practical implementation is a rotating menu cycle (typically 28 days) developed by the company’s catering superintendent and the senior cook, with daily menus confirmed based on actual provisions stock.

Medical dietary requirements take precedence over the standard menu. A crew member on a physician-prescribed low-sodium or diabetic diet must have access to appropriate food; a crew member with a declared food allergy (nuts, shellfish, gluten) must have safe alternatives available at every meal service. The company’s catering policy should document how these requirements are captured at the crew joining stage and communicated to the galley.

Cleaning and sanitation schedule

The cleaning schedule is an enforceable document, not a suggestion. It must name the cleaning task, the responsible person, the cleaning agent, the contact time and concentration, and the method of verification. For galley cleaning, tasks divide into: after-service cleaning (cleaning and sanitizing all food contact surfaces, emptying and cleaning the grease trough, cleaning the floor drains, removing waste from the galley); daily deep cleaning (cleaning oven interiors, hood filters, refrigerator door seals, floor wall junctions); and periodic tasks (monthly hood baffle cleaning, quarterly duct inspection and cleaning as required, annual pest inspection).

Cleaning chemicals used in food areas must be food-safe approved; the ship’s chemical inventory should list the active ingredient, concentration range for use, required contact time for sanitization, and the method of rinse confirmation. A log of chemical use concentrations, verified by test strip, must be kept alongside the HACCP records. An inspector who finds no chemical concentration log in a galley claiming HACCP compliance is looking at a documentation failure, regardless of what the actual concentrations were.

Limitations

MLC 2006 Standard A3.2 sets a floor, not a ceiling, for food provision. Ships meeting the letter of the Standard can still provide poor-quality food if the catering budget is insufficient or if the victualling rate is calculated at the bottom of the permitted range. Port-state control can cite obvious inadequacy but lacks the granular authority to compel a minimum per-meal spending level; budget enforcement is primarily a flag-state and ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) inspection function.

HACCP plans on most cargo ships are based on generic templates from flag-state authorities or P&I clubs. These templates are not inherently wrong, but a generic plan that hasn’t been adapted to the specific ship (its galley layout, equipment type, voyage pattern, and crew composition) may identify the wrong CCPs or set inappropriate critical limits. A cargo ship that primarily operates in tropical waters with ambient temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius faces a different food safety risk profile from a vessel on North Atlantic routes; a generic plan doesn’t capture this.

The weekly inspection obligation under Standard A3.2 paragraph 2(c) is the most commonly failing provision in MLC PSC data, not because ships fail to conduct inspections but because they fail to document them. An inspection that happened but wasn’t recorded in the logbook is, from a regulatory standpoint, an inspection that didn’t happen. Systems that rely on the master or chief officer manually recording the inspection in the official logbook are fragile; automated temperature logging and digital logbook systems reduce this compliance gap.

Grease duct cleaning frequency requirements are not uniform across flag states. Some flag states specify quarterly cleaning; others leave it to the operator’s SMS (Safety Management System) maintenance schedule. A duct that passes a visual inspection at the access panel may still carry 3 to 5 mm of grease on interior surfaces inaccessible from those panels. Professional duct cleaning using flexible rotary brushes, with before-and-after inspection photographs, is the only reliable standard, and it should be treated as a routine maintenance item regardless of the flag-state minimum.

HACCP verification requirements in Codex CAC/RCP 1-1969 include end-product microbiological testing, which is impractical on most cargo ships without onboard laboratory capability. The practical alternative is procedural verification (confirming that CCPs were monitored correctly and that critical limits were never breached), calibration records for measuring instruments, and periodic external audits (annual catering audits by the company’s designated person under ISM Code requirements). This procedural verification approach is accepted by most flag states and PSC authorities as equivalent to end-product testing for routine trading vessels.

See also

Related wiki articles

• Marine Crew Accommodation and Welfare: MLC Title 3 Regulations 3.1 and 3.3 through 3.5, covering berthing, recreational facilities, and medical care.
• MLC 2006: full Convention structure, Title 1 through Title 5, flag and port-state obligations.
• SOLAS Chapter II-2: Fire Protection: the fire safety framework within which galley fire protection operates.
• Marine Fire Detection and Fixed Fire Fighting Systems: fire detection and suppression systems across all vessel spaces.
• Marine Refrigeration and Cargo Cooling: refrigeration plant engineering and system design for provisions cold rooms.
• Marine HVAC Systems: ship-wide HVAC including accommodation and service area ventilation.
• Port State Control: PSC deficiency codes, detention thresholds, and MOU inspection regimes.
• STCW Convention: seafarer certification framework; distinct from but parallel to MLC 2006 cook certification.

Related calculators

• Cruise Provisions Per Pax Calculator: provisions quantities by voyage length and passenger count.
• HVAC Galley Exhaust Rate Calculator: galley hood extract rate sizing.
• HVAC Air Change Rate Calculator: air change rate for galley and service spaces.
• HVAC Ventilation Rate Calculator: supply and extract ventilation for accommodation and service spaces.
• Shipboard Potable Water Calculator: fresh water requirements including galley and dishwasher loads.
• MLC Work Hours Calculator: Standard A2.3 work/rest compliance for catering staff.
• MLC Rest Hours Calculator: minimum rest hours under Standard A2.3.
• Fire Pump Capacity (SOLAS): SOLAS main fire pump sizing (separate from galley suppression cylinder bank).