Accommodation Modules

How a module works on deck

The primary steel frame carries the module through the lift, usually on a four-leg sling set attached to pad eyes at the top corners. On deck it is sea-fastened to a grillage, by welding or by bolted clamps. Insulated sandwich panels inside the frame form the walls, roof and floor, and their construction sets the fire class. The module then connects to the host unit's power, potable water, grey and black water drains, fire and gas detection, emergency shutdown, public address and data. HVAC is either a self-contained package on the module or a duct connection to the unit's system.

Configurations

• Safe-area modules. Standard electrics, for positions outside every classified zone.
• Pressurised modules. An HVAC system holds the inside above ambient pressure, with gas detection at the air intake, airlock doors and automatic shutdown of non-Ex equipment if pressure or ventilation fails. These can sit in Zone 1 or Zone 2.
• Stacked complexes. Cabin, corridor, stair and wet modules built to stack two or three high and link into one block with shared escape routes.
• Function. Two or four-berth cabins with or without an en-suite wet unit, offices, changing rooms with lockers, mess and recreation modules, laundry and sick bay.

Key specifications

Standards and certification

• DNV-ST-E271 (2.7-1), EN 12079 and ISO 10855. These cover the module as an offshore container: design, prototype lift and drop tests, production, the lifting set and periodic inspection, up to 25,000 kg gross. The module carries a data plate and an inspection plate showing the last periodic inspection.
• DNV-ST-E273 (2.7-3). Portable offshore units that fall outside DNV 2.7-1, for example by weight or shape, are certified to this standard instead.
• DNV-ST-E272 (2.7-2). Titled "Offshore service modules" in its 2016 edition and "Equipment assemblies" since the 2024 edition, it certifies the installed equipment and safety systems through design, installation, commissioning and operation. Pressurised modules are often certified to it alongside DNV 2.7-1.
• SOLAS chapter II-2 and the MODU Code. An A-60 division is steel or an equivalent material, stops smoke and flame for the one-hour standard fire test, and keeps the unexposed side from rising more than 140 °C on average, or 180 °C at any point, above its starting temperature for 60 minutes.
• IEC 60079 series. Ex equipment for the zone, and IEC 60079-13 for pressurised rooms, with ATEX or IECEx certificates.
• MLC Standard A3.1. Where the flag applies it, headroom, berth size, sanitary provision and noise limits apply to the cabins.

Failure modes and inspection

• Corrosion at pad eyes, corner posts, bottom rails, forklift pockets and floor plate, checked by thickness gauging.
• Cracks at pad eye welds, found by magnetic particle or ultrasonic testing during periodic inspection.
• Worn or damaged sling legs, shackles and master links on the lifting set.
• Breaks in the fire boundary at damaged panels, unsealed penetrations, doors that no longer self-close and wet insulation.
• On pressurised units, function tests of fans, dampers, airlock doors, pressure switches, intake gas detectors and the shutdown trip.
• Leaks and rotten floor build-up under showers and toilets in wet units.
• Insulation resistance of the electrical installation and the refrigerant type in the HVAC package.

Documentation

Ask for the certificate of conformity to DNV 2.7-1, EN 12079 or DNV 2.7-3, the lifting set certificate, the last periodic inspection report with NDT results, any DNV 2.7-2 certificate, Ex certificates for every electrical item, the fire class certificate for the panel system, as-built drawings, and a record of every modification since certification.

Integration with your unit

Check the crane's rated load at the radius you need, the deck load under the module footprint and the sea-fastening design. Confirm the connector types and signals for power, fire and gas, emergency shutdown and alarms. Extra berths also need survival craft capacity, muster space and sewage treatment capacity for the new persons on board.

Recertification and refurbishment

An inspection body recertifies a used module with a visual inspection, NDT of the pad eyes and a lifting set inspection or replacement, then stamps the inspection plate. A cut-out, a new penetration or an added load since certification can void the certificate and send the design back for review. Refurbishment usually means a new interior inside a reinspected frame. Unused surplus with an expired inspection date still needs periodic inspection before it lifts. For a permanent station in Zone 1, a module built new to the current standards often costs less effort. Builders and rental fleets include ELA Container Offshore, Uniteam and OEG.

Fitting out a module usually leads on to HVAC systems and galley and mess equipment.