The 2018 update to the ABS MODU (Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit) regulations added a requirement at 4-3-3/1.5 to include all equipment operable after emergency shutdown on the hazardous area plan. The excerpt can be found here: Chapter 4-3-3 Section 1.5, and it ties in with the statements below regarding emergency lighting and the Zone 2 requirement for battery-powered equipment.
In accordance with ABS MODU Part 4-3-5, 7.1.2, all battery-powered equipment above deck must have a minimum of a Zone 2 rating regardless of its location. Excerpt here: Chapter 4-3-5 Section 7.1.4.
Typically, for emergency lighting this means the following areas (ABS 4-3-2 5.3.1). Excerpt here: Chapter 4-3-2 Section 5.3.1. This includes but is not limited to:
- Lifeboat / life raft deployment areas
- Jacob’s ladders
- Designated walkways / stairways & exits
- Control positions in machinery spaces
- Drill floor / BOP
- Firefighting / damage control locations
- Helideck access
Why ABS Classification Matters for Emergency Lighting Specification
ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) classification isn’t optional paperwork — it’s a condition of a mobile offshore drilling unit’s insurability and, in most jurisdictions, its right to operate at all. When class rules specify that emergency lighting equipment must carry a minimum Zone 2 rating regardless of where it’s mounted on deck, that requirement exists because an emergency shutdown doesn’t guarantee the atmosphere around the unit is safe — the equipment lighting an evacuation route has to keep functioning safely even if conditions have already degraded. Specifying standard-rated lighting for these areas because “it’s probably fine” isn’t a cost saving; it’s a classification and safety gap that surfaces at the worst possible moment, during a survey or, worse, an actual emergency.
What This Means in Practice for Lighting Selection
The list of areas above — lifeboat stations, walkways, machinery space control positions, the drill floor, firefighting stations, helideck access — share a common thread: they’re exactly the areas personnel need to reach or operate from during an emergency, which is precisely why the lighting serving them can’t be allowed to fail or be a potential ignition source itself. Fixtures specified for these zones need both the Zone 2 hazardous-area rating ABS requires and genuine emergency backup capability — typically 90 minutes or more of battery runtime, long enough to cover a realistic evacuation and muster scenario rather than just a token few minutes.
Daly Middle East supplies Red Sky Lighting’s Linear Emergency Series, a Zone 2-rated explosion-proof linear LED fixture with 90-minute emergency backup, built specifically for this kind of application on offshore installations.
Complete ABS Rules & Regulations for Mobile Offshore Drilling Units
For your reference, the complete rules and regulations are available below:
- Notices & General Info
- Part 1 – Scope and Condition of Classification
- Part 2 – Materials and Welding
- Part 3 – Hull Construction and Equipment
- Part 4 – Machinery and Systems
- Part 5 – Fire and Safety
- Part 6 – Rules for Equipment and Machinery Certification
- Part 7 – Surveys
For further information on lighting requirements, please contact us directly at sales@daly-me.com or +971 4 887 8185.