Cruise Terminal, Passenger Ship, Ferry & Maritime Passenger Galley HVAC Ductwork Guide

Why cruise terminal and passenger ship HVAC sits in its own category

If you walk through the White Bay Cruise Terminal in Sydney at 06:30 on a Saturday morning during the southern-hemisphere cruise season — with a 4,000-berth Royal Caribbean or Carnival vessel alongside and the disembark surge moving through the Australian Border Force SmartGate hall, the AQIS biosecurity inspection lines and the baggage carousel — you are standing inside one of the most HVAC-demanding building types in the country. A few hours later the embark for the next sailing puts 5,500 passengers and crew through the same building in the opposite direction, peaking at queue density of 2.0 to 2.5 persons per square metre at the SmartGate banks and the baggage drop. The carbon-dioxide rise during that 90-minute peak is the highest of any terminal building category in Australia, and the AS 1668.2 outdoor-air design has to size against it from cold start every operating day.

Three buildings down at the Overseas Passenger Terminal OPT at Circular Quay, the same surge is happening with the Sydney Harbour Bridge view of the building — a heritage-overlay terminal that hosts P&O Australia, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, MSC, Seabourn and the Coral Expeditions and Aurora Expeditions small-ship operators across a constrained heritage envelope. At Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point the Carnival Australia and Royal Caribbean vessels berth alongside a purpose-built post-2020 terminal designed for the modern surge profile. In Fremantle, the heritage Passenger Terminal hosts the Indian Ocean rotations. In Adelaide Outer Harbor, in Hobart Macquarie Wharf, in Cairns Marine and Darwin Cruise the smaller-volume terminals support the regional rotations.

Inside the ship alongside, a parallel HVAC environment is running with completely different rules. The cruise ship main galley feeding 3,000 to 6,000 passengers and crew operates under NFPA 96 commercial-kitchen ventilation with grease-laden vapour management, ammonia R717 refrigeration on the IQF blast freezer at minus 25 degrees Celsius, FSANZ HACCP cold-side preparation and 24-hour service across breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night buffet and room service. The ship engine room is classified Zone 1 under AS/NZS 60079 around the bunker-fuel-oil purifier and the LNG dual-fuel bunkering manifold, with the IMO MARPOL Annex VI global sulfur cap of 0.5 percent (0.1 percent inside the emission control areas) driving the high-sulfur HFO heavy fuel oil to compliant blends or scrubber systems. The ship hospital includes 2 to 6 ASHRAE 170 negative-pressure isolation rooms for norovirus, influenza, COVID and gastrointestinal outbreak quarantine. The bridge and engine control room run ASHRAE TC 9.9 Class A1 environmental control to protect the electronics. The theatre, the broadway show lounge, the casino, the spa, the pool, the ice-skating rink, the rock-climbing wall, the multi-deck atrium and the 8 to 12 specialty dining restaurants each carry their own occupancy profile, acoustic NC 25 target and ventilation rate.

The ferry side runs parallel. The Spirit of Tasmania I and II operated by TT-Line for the Tasmanian government across the Bass Strait between Devonport and Melbourne (Geelong from 2026 with the new fleet entering service) handles 1,500 to 1,800 passengers plus 600 to 800 vehicles per crossing on heavy-fuel-oil and marine-gas-oil main engines with bunker-fuel Zone 1 engine room ventilation. The Sydney Ferries fleet operated by TfNSW, the Captain Cook Cruises Harbour fleet, the Manly Fast Ferry, the Brisbane CityCats operated by TransLink, the Melbourne Port Phillip Ferries and the SeaLink fleet to North Stradbroke Island and Kangaroo Island handle high-frequency commuter peaks of 200 to 600 passengers on 10 to 20 minute service intervals.

From an HVAC engineering standpoint, this segment looks superficially like a transport terminal — assembly hall, baggage hall, customs control, retail and amenity. But it differs from a road or rail terminal in nine material ways. First, the surge profile is the most extreme of any terminal type in Australia, with 3,000 to 5,500 passengers processed in a 90-minute window. Second, the AQIS Biosecurity Act 2015 and Australian Border Force protocols drive a pressure-cascade zoning that no road or rail terminal has. Third, the cruise galley operates under NFPA 96 commercial-kitchen ventilation at industrial scale, with FSANZ HACCP and ammonia refrigeration overlays. Fourth, the engine room is Zone 1 hazardous area with bunker-fuel exposure controls. Fifth, the ship hospital negative-pressure isolation drives ASHRAE 170 controls on a moving vessel. Sixth, the LNG dual-fuel transition is reshaping the bunkering zone classification. Seventh, the lithium-ion BESS on the new hybrid vessels introduces HF and HCN exposure targets that no traditional vessel had. Eighth, salt-spray and chloride exposure on the vessel hull side drives 316L marine-grade stainless across roughly 30 to 40 percent of the ship duct package. Ninth, the IMO MARPOL Annex VI sulfur cap is reshaping engine room exhaust and stack design through the post-2020 period.

This guide is written for the consulting engineers, marine architects, shipyard fitters, terminal head contractors, HVAC ductwork subcontractors and the cruise-line and ferry-line technical departments specifying, producing and commissioning ducts on these projects. It assembles the code stack, the climate envelope, the zoning logic, the duct sizing approach, the cruise galley NFPA 96 design, the engine room AS/NZS 60079 bunker-fuel and LNG dual-fuel design, the ship hospital ASHRAE 170 isolation, the cabin and suite ASHRAE 62.1 zoning, the AQIS and Border Force biosecurity cascade, the ferry-terminal high-frequency commuter peaks and the SBKJ machine configuration that produces the necessary ductwork mix at scale from our Box Hill North VIC engineering office in Melbourne.

Code stack — what governs cruise terminal and passenger ship HVAC duct design

The applicable code stack for an Australian cruise terminal, passenger ship newbuild or refit, ferry terminal or maritime passenger building is unusually dense because of the marine, biosecurity, hazardous-area, mass-feeding-galley and high-surge-occupancy overlays. Here is the working list our engineers run through on every passenger-shipping HVAC review:

• NCC (National Construction Code) Volume One. Classifies the terminal building. Cruise terminal arrival and departure halls are Class 9b assembly. The retail and duty-free at the terminal is Class 6. The administration block is Class 5. The plant rooms and bunker-fuel handling at the terminal-side bunkering interface are Class 8 industrial. The customs and AQIS biosecurity halls operate as Class 9b with the federal security overlay.
• AS 1668.1. Mechanical smoke management. Applies to the terminal across the assembly hall, the retail concourse and the administration block. Powered smoke exhaust at the roof apex sized to maintain a smoke-free layer above the highest sprinkler head per AS 2118, integrated with detection under AS 1670.
• AS 1668.2. Outdoor air for general ventilation. Sets the outdoor air rate per zone — 10 L/s per person on the assembly hall and the queue zones, elevated rates at the SmartGate eGate banks where queue density spikes, dedicated 12 to 20 air changes per hour on the AQIS biosecurity inspection and the medical isolation, 6 to 15 air changes per hour on the bunker-fuel interface plant room.
• AS 4254. Ductwork for air-handling systems. Sets leakage class (A, B, C, D), reinforcement, joint construction and sealing requirements. Class C minimum (under 4 percent leakage at design pressure) is the working benchmark for cruise-terminal NABERS-rated builds; Class B is increasingly specified on the cruise-line technical departments for the ship-side fit-out.
• AS 1530.4. Fire-resistance testing of ductwork. Applies to the cruise galley grease riser (250 degrees Celsius 2-hour rating per NFPA 96 and AS 1530.4), the smoke spill duct, the fire-rated penetrations through deck and bulkhead, and the engine room emergency extract through the accommodation block.
• AS 1851. Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment. Applies to fire dampers, smoke control fans, AHU fire-mode coordination, fixed gaseous suppression and sprinkler integration on both the terminal and the vessel sides through the operational life.
• AS/NZS 60079. Explosive atmospheres. Applies on the terminal side at the bunker-fuel bunkering interface (Zone 1 around the manifold), the LNG dual-fuel bunkering zone (Zone 1 around the vent stack and the manifold connection), and on the lithium-ion BESS room on the new hybrid vessels and the shore-power BESS at the terminal (Zone 2). On the vessel side it applies across the engine room (Zone 1 around the bunker-fuel-oil purifier and the LNG manifold, Zone 2 across the broader space), the bunker tank vents, the cargo hold for the few cruise vessels carrying flammable cargo, and the generator room with co-located fuel storage. Drives spark-resistant duct construction with non-ferrous tooling on the SBKJ forming line and explosion-protected fan selection.
• AS 1940. Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids. Applies to the bunker-fuel storage at the terminal bunkering interface and on the vessel, the marine-gas-oil and marine diesel storage, and the lithium-ion BESS electrolyte handling.
• IMO MARPOL Annex VI. The International Maritime Organization marine pollution convention Annex VI on air pollution from ships. Sets the global sulfur cap at 0.5 percent (post-2020) and the emission control area cap at 0.1 percent on certain routes. Drives the engine room exhaust scrubbing or the switch to compliant bunker blends, with the residual SO2 STEL exposure target of 2 ppm informing the engine room ventilation rate and the funnel stack height clearance from the upper deck HVAC supply intake.
• IMO SOLAS. International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. Sets the vessel fire safety, passenger-ship subdivision, life-saving and bridge equipment standards that the HVAC has to integrate with on the vessel side — particularly the fire-rated penetrations through the SOLAS subdivision bulkheads, the emergency extract from the engine room and the smoke control on the multi-deck atrium and the theatre.
• AMSA NSCV. Australian Maritime Safety Authority National Standard for Commercial Vessels. The Australian regulator's standard for domestic commercial vessels (including the Spirit of Tasmania, the Sydney Ferries, the Brisbane CityCats and the SeaLink fleet). Sets ventilation, fire safety, hazardous area and survey requirements for the Australian-flagged vessel fleet.
• Marine Order. The detailed regulatory orders under the Navigation Act 2012 that AMSA issues for specific compliance topics (Marine Order 25 on safety of cargoes, Marine Order 32 on cargo handling, Marine Order 502 on certificates of survey, and so on). Each carries implications for HVAC duct design on the affected zones.
• AQIS Biosecurity Act 2015. The federal biosecurity legislation administered by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (Biosecurity Australia, formerly AQIS). Applies to every cruise-ship arrival in an Australian port — passenger declarations, baggage inspection, vessel pratique clearance, ballast-water and biofouling management, and the terminal-side AQIS inspection bench zoning. Drives the negative-pressure inspection zone at the AQIS bench and the dedicated extract to capture any spillage from quarantine-listed organic declarations.
• FSANZ Food Standards Code. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Applies to the cruise-ship galley and the terminal-side food retail. Drives the HACCP cold-chain protocol, the cold-side preparation zone temperature control, and the cross-contamination separation between raw and cooked.
• NFPA 96. Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. The dominant US-origin reference for the cruise-ship galley NFPA 96 hood face velocity, grease-laden vapour management, grease-duct cleaning access and fire suppression. Adopted by reference across the cruise-line technical specifications and aligned with AS 1668.2 on the Australian side.
• NFPA 301. Code for Safety to Life from Fire on Merchant Vessels. The vessel-specific fire-life-safety code that overlaps IMO SOLAS with US-style life-safety detail. Applies on the cruise-line technical specification across cabin smoke control, theatre smoke management and the atrium smoke clearance.
• NFPA 13. Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems. Cross-referenced across the cruise-ship sprinkler design and the terminal sprinkler design, with AS 2118 as the Australian primary.
• BS 9999. Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings (UK origin). Cross-referenced on cruise-line fit-out specifications because much of the cruise-line technical engineering originates from UK and European shipyards.
• AS 1428.1 DDA. Design for access and mobility. Applies to the terminal arrival and departure halls, the disabled toilets, the disabled queue accommodation at the SmartGate, the terminal lifts and ramps, and the vessel-side accessible cabin and suite accommodation.
• ASHRAE 62.1. Ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality. Used as the primary reference for cabin and suite ventilation at 5 L/s per person base plus 0.3 to 0.6 L/s per square metre of cabin floor. Suite-class cabins step to 7.5 to 10 L/s per person. Cross-references for multinational fleet specifications.
• ASHRAE 170. Ventilation of Health Care Facilities. The primary reference for the ship hospital isolation rooms — negative pressure 25 to 75 Pascal relative to the corridor, single-pass HEPA H14 extract, 12 to 20 air changes per hour minimum, no recirculation. The shipboard reference applies the ASHRAE 170 inpatient airborne-infection isolation room (AIIR) profile to the vessel hospital.
• ASHRAE TC 9.9. Mission-Critical Facilities, Technology Spaces and Electronic Equipment. Class A1 environment for the ship bridge and the engine control room — 18 to 27 degrees Celsius, 5.5 to 60 percent RH, controlled rate of change to protect the electronics.
• Workplace Exposure Standards (WES). Safe Work Australia exposure standards. The critical contaminants on the cruise terminal and passenger-ship HVAC design are: BFO bunker fuel oil benzene 1 ppm STEL (the killer compound on heavy fuel oil), SO2 sulfur dioxide 2 ppm STEL (HFO post-IMO MARPOL Annex VI), NOx 5 ppm, CO 30 ppm TWA / 100 ppm ceiling, PM2.5 10 micrograms per cubic metre (passenger smoking, terminal traffic, vessel funnel ingestion), R32 and R454B refrigerant leak thresholds, R744 CO2 5,000 ppm TWA, NH3 ammonia 25 ppm TWA (galley walk-in and ship refrigeration), Cl2 chlorine 0.5 ppm STEL (pool and norovirus deep clean), peracetic acid 0.4 ppm STEL (norovirus and COVID surface disinfect), formaldehyde 1 ppm STEL (joinery off-gassing on newbuild and post-refit), HF hydrogen fluoride 1.8 ppm STEL (lithium-ion BESS thermal runaway) and HCN hydrogen cyanide 5 ppm STEL on emergency fire response.
• State environmental authorities. Victorian EPA, NSW EPA, QLD DES, WA DWER, SA EPA, TAS EPA, NT EPA. Apply to the terminal-side discharge from the bunker-fuel handling extract, the customs and AQIS biosecurity extract, the galley grease riser at the terminal-side food retail, and the vessel funnel emissions at berth (the fastest-growing source of cruise-terminal complaint in Sydney and Brisbane is funnel exhaust ingestion into the terminal HVAC supply).
• Australian Privacy Principles. Apply to the customs and Border Force passenger data handling at the terminal, the medical screening cell data and the AQIS declaration data. Drive modest acoustic separation at the inspection benches.
• State pilotage authorities and harbour master orders. The Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Fremantle, Hobart, Cairns and Darwin port authority operating rules and harbour-master orders for cruise vessel berthing, tug operations and pilotage transfer. Inform the terminal-side plant room location, the bunker-fuel transfer interface and the shore-power connection point.

For full reference on AS 1668.2 outdoor air calculations across building classes, see our companion AS 1668.2 Australian Ventilation Code Reference. For ductwork construction detail, see the AS 4254 Australian Ductwork Construction Reference. The remainder of this guide assumes the reader is broadly familiar with these and focuses on how the code stack applies to cruise terminals, passenger ships, ferries and maritime passenger buildings.

Cruise terminal HVAC duct — the surge-load assembly hall

The cruise terminal arrival and departure hall is the most surge-loaded HVAC building in Australia. A 4,000 to 5,500 passenger cruise vessel turnaround puts the entire passenger complement through the terminal in a 90-minute embark window, then the inbound debark of the next sailing repeats in the opposite direction. White Bay Cruise Terminal Sydney, the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay, Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point and Fremantle Passenger Terminal are all sized against the 3,000 to 5,500 passenger surge. Port Adelaide Outer Harbor, Hobart Macquarie Wharf, Cairns Marine and Darwin Cruise are smaller-volume terminals supporting regional rotations at 1,500 to 3,500 passenger surges.

The HVAC design points that cascade out of this:

• AS 1668.2 outdoor air at 10 L/s per person on the assembly hall, sized against the 90-minute peak rather than the daily average. CO2 monitoring at the SmartGate banks and the baggage carousel for early warning of the surge. Design CO2 below 1,000 ppm at the surge peak — the 90-minute peak is the worst-case CO2 spike of any terminal building type in Australia, and exceeding the 1,000 ppm target during embark creates a perceptible passenger experience problem.
• Elevated rates at the SmartGate eGate hall, the AQIS biosecurity inspection bench and the customs declaration counter, where queue density spikes to 2.0 to 2.5 persons per square metre. Local outdoor-air uplift of 50 to 80 percent over the baseline AS 1668.2 number.
• Pressure cascade across the biosecurity zoning. Sterile arrivals positive to gangway, SmartGate hall neutral, AQIS inspection bench negative (to capture spillage from any quarantine-listed organic declaration), baggage hall neutral, public meet-and-greet slightly positive. Each pressure boundary is a duct-cascade design point with smoke and security dampers at the penetration.
• Medical screening cell with isolation room. Single-pass HEPA H14 extract at 20 plus air changes per hour, negative pressure 25 to 75 Pascal relative to the surrounding terminal, ASHRAE 170 reference. The cell exists at every Australian cruise terminal post-2020 as part of the norovirus and pandemic-readiness protocol that operators tightened materially through the post-pandemic period.
• Funnel exhaust ingestion management. The fastest-growing cruise-terminal complaint in Sydney and Brisbane is funnel exhaust ingestion into the terminal HVAC supply during a wind condition that carries vessel funnel discharge across the wharf. Locate the HVAC supply intake on the building side away from the wharf, with a wind-rose analysis of the prevailing direction at each port; specify carbon-filter media on the AHU outdoor-air path to absorb SO2, NOx and PM2.5 from any ingestion event; integrate the vessel funnel-discharge monitoring into the terminal BMS for early warning.
• Heritage envelope constraints at OPT Circular Quay and Fremantle Passenger Terminal. The heritage-listed buildings have restricted plant-space allocation, restricted facade penetration, and require modest visual integration of HVAC supply and extract paths. The design has to fit the duct cross-sections within heritage-acceptable cavity depths, which drives flatter rectangular duct on the SBKJ SBAL-V auto duct line rather than the round spiral that would be the natural choice on a clean-sheet design.
• Disabled access and DDA queue accommodation. AS 1428.1 DDA requires accessible queue paths at the SmartGate, accessible toilets at the queue, accessible meet-and-greet seating. The HVAC has to provide local comfort at these accessible positions through dropped supply terminals and adjustable diffusers.

Passenger ship galley NFPA 96 — the mass-feeding kitchen at industrial scale

The cruise-ship main galley feeding 3,000 to 6,000 passengers and crew across breakfast, lunch, dinner and 24-hour service is one of the most demanding commercial-kitchen environments in the world — comparable in scale to a large convention-centre kitchen but with the salt-spray exposure, the vessel motion, the IMO SOLAS and SOLAS-derived fire-life-safety overlay and the FSANZ HACCP food-safety protocol all overlaid.

The NFPA 96 design points that govern the cruise-ship main galley are:

• Hood face velocity at 0.5 to 0.6 metres per second on the cooking line per NFPA 96 hood capture requirements. Hood widths of 1.2 to 1.5 metres over the wok ranges, char-grills, deep fryers, steam kettles and tilting brat pans. Total galley extract on a Carnival Australia, Royal Caribbean or Princess vessel main galley lands at 80,000 to 180,000 cubic metres per hour. The high-end number applies on the largest Oasis-class and Quantum-class vessels.
• Grease-laden vapour management via UV-C ozone grease treatment in the hood plenum, water-wash hood collection on the heavy char-grill stations, and the extract routed up a dedicated grease riser to a roof-level (top deck) grease-resistant fan. The grease riser construction is fire-rated to 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour rating per NFPA 96 and AS 1530.4. SBKJ SBSF-1525 produces the fire-rated seam-fold duct construction.
• Separate FSANZ HACCP cold-side preparation zone. Vegetable preparation, fish preparation, meat preparation, salad assembly and pastry preparation each operate in temperature-controlled rooms at 8 to 14 degrees Celsius with dedicated HVAC at the cold-side preparation room. Cross-contamination separation requires unidirectional airflow from clean (cold side) to less-clean (hot line) with no shared returns.
• IQF blast freezing at minus 25 degrees Celsius on ammonia R717. The galley walk-in freezer and the IQF blast-freezer tunnel for cooked-meal blast chill run on R717 ammonia primary refrigeration with R744 CO2 secondary cascade on the newer vessel specifications. NH3 ammonia 25 ppm TWA exposure target drives the walk-in extract sizing. Duct material is 316L marine-grade stainless 1.5 millimetre to handle the salt-spray exposure on the vessel hull side plus the chloride load from food acids. SBKJ SBAL-V configured with 316L tooling produces the galley supply and extract rectangular.
• Specialty dining galley separation. Cruise vessels run 8 to 12 specialty dining restaurants in addition to the main dining room and the buffet — the Italian, the steakhouse, the Asian fusion, the seafood, the French, the chef's table and the pool-deck grill. Each operates a smaller satellite galley with its own NFPA 96 hood ventilation, sized to the cooking line at that venue. Total ship satellite-galley extract is typically 20,000 to 40,000 cubic metres per hour across all venues.
• Crew galley separation. The crew mess and crew galley operate separately from the passenger food chain with their own NFPA 96 hood. Crew operate three shifts so the crew galley is in active service across 18 to 22 hours of every operating day.
• Make-up air at 80 to 85 percent of extract. The galley operates at slight negative pressure relative to the surrounding accommodation to prevent grease-laden vapour migration. Make-up air enters via dedicated tempered supply terminals at the perimeter of the galley, not via the kitchen-line hoods (which would short-circuit the capture).
• Acoustic NC 35 to NC 40 in the galley. The crew working in the galley are exposed for 8 to 14 hours per shift. Sound attenuators on the supply and extract reduce the perceived noise. SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder produces the 316L sound-attenuator plenum longitudinal welds.

Cruise ship engine room AS/NZS 60079 — bunker fuel and LNG dual-fuel

The cruise ship engine room is one of the most hazardous-area-dense HVAC environments in the maritime sector. The four propulsion-related fuel zones — the heavy fuel oil (HFO) and marine gas oil (MGO) handling on the traditional fleet, the LNG dual-fuel bunkering on the new generation of LNG-fuelled vessels (the Carnival Mardi Gras-class, the AIDA Nova-class and the Royal Caribbean Icon-class), the lithium-ion BESS on the hybrid vessels and the cryogenic LNG vent stack on the LNG-fuelled vessels — each carry their own AS/NZS 60079 hazardous-area classification.

The standard zoning is:

• Zone 1 around the bunker-fuel-oil purifier, the HFO day tank, the MGO day tank, the LNG bunkering manifold during a bunkering operation and the LNG vent stack discharge.
• Zone 2 across the broader engine room space, the bunker-fuel transfer corridor and the LNG cold-recovery vapouriser room.
• Zone 2 on the lithium-ion BESS room on the hybrid vessels (the Hurtigruten Roald Amundsen-class, the Havila Capella-class and the new Carnival hybrid vessels).

The HVAC design points that cascade out of this:

• Mechanical ventilation at 6 to 15 air changes per hour with the higher end on dual-fuel LNG vessels to manage methane vent stack pickup and gas-detection interlock. The lower end applies on traditional HFO-only vessels with engine-room ventilation sized for the heat extract plus the bunker-fuel-oil purifier room ventilation.
• WES exposure controls: BFO benzene 1 ppm STEL (the killer compound on heavy fuel oil), SO2 2 ppm STEL on the high-sulfur residual fuel discharge inside the engine room, NOx 5 ppm, CO 30 ppm TWA, PM2.5 10 micrograms per cubic metre. The benzene STEL is the critical exposure control on HFO 380cSt heavy fuel oil — the operator's medical surveillance program is keyed to it.
• Spark-resistant duct construction with non-ferrous tooling on the SBKJ forming line and 316L stainless or aluminium duct material. SBKJ spark-resistant SBTF spiral configuration produces the spark-resistant spiral for the engine room Zone 1 extract. SBKJ SBAL-V at 316L marine grade with stainless tooling produces the spark-resistant rectangular plenum on the bunker-fuel-purifier room extract.
• Explosion-protected fans selected to Group IIA Temperature Class T3 (T3 covers the auto-ignition temperature of bunker-fuel mists). Aluminium impeller in non-ferrous casing with anti-static bearings.
• Heavy-gauge duct construction at 1.5 to 2.0 millimetre on the engine room exhaust plenum and the generator room exhaust. SBKJ SBPC1500 plasma table produces the heavy-gauge access plates and damper bodies. SBKJ SBLR-600 longitudinal seam welder produces the engine room exhaust plenum welds.
• Bunker tank vent management via dedicated vent risers terminating at the upper deck 3 plus metres above any HVAC supply intake. The vent risers are AS/NZS 60079 Zone 0 at the discharge and AS 1940 compliant on the tank-side construction. Make-up air for the engine room ventilation comes from a clean upper-deck intake on the opposite side of the funnel.
• LNG vapour return and boil-off-gas management on dual-fuel vessels. The LNG boil-off-gas from the cryogenic LNG storage tanks is either consumed by the dual-fuel main engines (as a low-sulfur fuel alternative to HFO) or vented at the vent stack via a gas combustion unit (GCU) on the upper deck. The boil-off-gas vent path is AS/NZS 60079 Zone 1 around the GCU stack and Zone 2 inside the vapour return line.
• Engine room emergency extract. On an engine room fire, the HVAC integrates with the SOLAS fire dampers and the AS 1530.4 fire-rated extract to clear the engine room atmosphere ahead of fixed gaseous suppression discharge (typically CO2 total flooding on traditional vessels and increasingly Novec 1230 on newer specifications). The duct construction is 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour rated per AS 1530.4 with continuous fire-rated wrapping on the runs through the accommodation deck.

Cruise ship cabin and stateroom — ASHRAE 62.1 and salt-spray exposure

Cruise-ship cabins and staterooms on the Australian-deployed fleet handle 2,500 to 4,500 passenger-berth count per vessel across the Carnival Australia P&O, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America, MSC Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Silversea, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Scenic Eclipse, Aurora Expeditions and Coral Expeditions fleets.

The HVAC design points are:

• ASHRAE 62.1 at 5 L/s per person base outdoor air plus 0.3 to 0.6 L/s per square metre of cabin floor area, delivered via fan-coil unit or individual VRF/VRV head with thermostat control at the cabin entry. The cabin operates as the passenger sleeping environment for the cruise duration — typically 7 to 14 nights on the Australian rotations — so the cabin air quality and acoustic environment carry the bulk of the passenger experience evaluation.
• Suite-class cabins step up to 7.5 to 10 L/s per person with dedicated balcony air-curtain interlock to prevent salt-spray ingestion when the balcony door opens. The interlock detects the balcony door position and modulates the suite extract to maintain the cabin pressure against the prevailing wind on the balcony.
• R32 plus R454B plus R744 refrigerant transition. The current Australian cruise-fleet refrigerant transition pathway under the IMO MARPOL Annex VI refrigerant phase-down. R32 on the smaller VRF heads, R454B on the larger central-station chilled-water plant, and R744 CO2 on the ship-refrigeration heavy plant and the galley walk-in cascade. NH3 ammonia R717 retained on the heavy ship refrigeration plant and in the galley walk-in.
• 316L marine-grade duct on the salt-spray side. The cabin and suite supply duct on the hull-side cabin (the outside cabins with windows, balconies or verandas) sits within the salt-spray exposure zone. 316L marine-grade stainless 1.5 millimetre on the SBKJ SBAL-V configured with 316L tooling. Inboard cabins (the cheaper cabin grades with no window or with an interior atrium view) can use galvanised 0.6 to 1.0 millimetre.
• Acoustic NC 25 to NC 30 in the cabin. Sound attenuator on the supply branch reduces the perceived noise. SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder produces the 316L sound attenuator plenum longitudinal welds.
• Joinery off-gassing on newbuild and post-refit. Formaldehyde 1 ppm STEL exposure target on the joinery off-gassing for the first 14 to 60 days post-fit-out. The newbuild commissioning protocol runs elevated outdoor-air rate (typically 100 percent outdoor air on the first 14 days, stepping back to design after 60 days) to clear the off-gassing.
• Demand-controlled ventilation on cabin occupancy. CO2 sensors in the cabin and occupancy detection at the cabin entry let the BMS modulate the outdoor-air rate to the actual occupancy — a couple-only cabin during the day with both passengers off-ship at a port-of-call gets minimal outdoor air; the same cabin at night with both passengers asleep gets full ventilation.

Cruise ship public spaces — restaurant, bar, theatre, casino, spa, pool, ice rink, rock climbing

The cruise ship public spaces are the entertainment and revenue heart of the vessel, and they each carry their own occupancy profile and ventilation requirement.

• Main dining room and specialty restaurants. Peak occupancy at 0.6 to 0.8 persons per square metre during the dinner service. 10 to 15 L/s per person outdoor air. NFPA 96 hood extract on the cooking lines (see passenger ship galley NFPA 96 section above). Acoustic NC 35 to NC 40 across the dining floor.
• Buffet. Peak occupancy at 0.8 to 1.2 persons per square metre. 10 L/s per person. NFPA 96 hood extract on the buffet stations with cooking equipment (carving, omelette, made-to-order pasta).
• Bar and lounge. Peak occupancy at 0.6 to 0.8 persons per square metre. 10 L/s per person. Smoking-section legacy zoning is largely retired on the Australian-deployed fleet but some operators retain a small smoking lounge with dedicated extract and PM2.5 capture.
• Theatre and broadway show lounge. Peak occupancy at 1.0 to 1.5 persons per square metre across 1,200 to 1,800 seat theatre. 10 L/s per person. Acoustic NC 25 (the tightest acoustic target on the vessel) drives sound-attenuator plenum construction throughout the theatre supply and extract. Pyrotechnic smoke clearance under NFPA 301 and AS 1668.1 — the theatre smoke from broadway-style pyrotechnic effects has to clear within a 60-second target. SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder produces the 316L theatre attenuator plenum longitudinal welds.
• Casino. Peak occupancy at 0.8 to 1.2 persons per square metre. 12 L/s per person (slightly above the dining number because of the prolonged sit-duration). Smoking-section legacy zoning is mostly retired on Australian-deployed vessels.
• Spa, gym and wellness. Peak occupancy at 0.5 to 0.8 persons per square metre across the gym, treatment rooms and locker rooms. 15 to 25 L/s per person on the gym (high-intensity activity) and 10 L/s per person on the treatment rooms. Steam and sauna areas operate at high-humidity wet zone with dedicated extract.
• Pool and pool-deck. Cl2 chlorine 0.5 ppm STEL exposure control on the indoor pool. Trihalomethane and chloramine management via elevated extract at the pool surface. Outdoor pool deck on the open upper deck operates with natural ventilation but the adjacent indoor pool, the spa pool and the kid's splash area all need mechanical extract.
• Ice skating rink. Some larger vessels (Royal Caribbean Oasis-class, Quantum-class) include an indoor ice-skating rink that operates at minus 5 to plus 5 degrees Celsius. Dedicated refrigeration plant and dehumidification. The rink resurfaces use propylene glycol secondary loop with R744 CO2 primary on newer specifications.
• Rock climbing wall. High-intensity activity zone with 20 to 25 L/s per person outdoor air at design occupancy. Typically open-air on the upper deck so natural ventilation dominates, with mechanical extract on the adjacent indoor change rooms.
• Multi-deck atrium. The central atrium spanning 6 to 12 decks is the smoke-management critical space under NFPA 301 and IMO SOLAS — smoke clearance via powered roof extract sized to keep the smoke-free layer above the highest accommodation deck. Smoke-rated 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour spiral exhaust risers on the SBKJ SBFB-1500 spiral fitting former plus the SBKJ SBSF-1525 for the fire-rated seam-fold work.

Bridge and engine control room — ASHRAE TC 9.9 Class A1

The vessel bridge and the engine control room run ASHRAE TC 9.9 Class A1 environmental control to protect the electronics — 18 to 27 degrees Celsius, 5.5 to 60 percent RH, controlled rate of change. The bridge is the navigation and command centre, with the electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS), the radar, the integrated bridge system, the satellite communications and the propulsion control all sensitive to temperature and humidity excursion. The engine control room (ECR) is the propulsion plant control room with similar electronics density.

Both spaces run dedicated chilled-water or DX cooling with high-grade filtration on the outdoor-air pathway. Salt-aerosol ingestion is the dominant contamination risk — chloride deposition on the electronic boards is a documented failure mode on marine electronics. The HVAC outdoor-air intake is on the leeward side of the bridge (or on the funnel side opposite to the prevailing wind) with carbon-filter media to absorb SO2 from the funnel discharge during a wind condition that carries funnel exhaust toward the bridge intake.

Vessel hospital — ASHRAE 170 norovirus and COVID isolation

Passenger ship medical centres on the major Australian-deployed cruise vessels include a multi-bed clinic plus 2 to 6 dedicated isolation rooms purpose-built for norovirus, influenza, COVID and gastrointestinal outbreak quarantine. The norovirus outbreak on a closed cruise vessel was the dominant operational risk on the pre-pandemic Australian fleet (the 2014 to 2019 norovirus incident rate on the major Australian-deployed vessels averaged 1.5 to 3 isolation events per 12 month period), and the post-pandemic COVID overlay added a second containment requirement on top of the existing norovirus protocol.

The HVAC design points are:

• ASHRAE 170 negative pressure at 25 to 75 Pascal relative to the corridor. Verified on commissioning with a calibrated micromanometer and continuously monitored via the vessel BMS.
• Single-pass HEPA H14 extract direct to atmosphere via a dedicated extract riser. No recirculation, no shared return with the general vessel HVAC. Discharge stack 3 plus metres clear of any HVAC supply intake on the upper deck.
• 12 to 20 air changes per hour minimum. The higher end during an active outbreak period when the clearance rate has to keep up with the contaminant load from active patient breathing and any aerosol-generating clinical procedure.
• Fresh-air-only supply with no recirculation. Tempered outdoor air through dedicated AHU.
• Peracetic acid 0.4 ppm STEL surface sanitiser exposure target on the cleaning cycle. Chlorine bleach Cl2 0.5 ppm STEL exposure target on the bleach-based deep clean.
• Double-door airlock vestibule at the entry to the isolation room to maintain the pressure containment.
• Bag-in bag-out HEPA housing for safe filter change without exposing the maintenance technician.
• 316L stainless duct material throughout the isolation extract path — chloride from the chlorine-bleach deep clean and the peracetic-acid sanitise corrodes galvanised duct at the seams. SBKJ SBAL-V at 316L marine grade with stainless tooling produces the isolation room duct; SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder produces the longitudinal welds on the HEPA housing plenum.

Norovirus isolation ship hospital — the post-pandemic upgrade

The norovirus outbreak protocol on the Australian-deployed cruise fleet was upgraded materially through the post-pandemic period. The dominant changes affecting HVAC design are:

• Increased isolation room count — from 1 to 2 isolation rooms on the pre-pandemic specification to 4 to 6 on the post-pandemic spec, with capacity to convert adjacent multi-bed clinic beds to additional isolation under outbreak protocol.
• Tighter HEPA filtration — H14 became the standard specification, replacing H13 on some pre-pandemic vessels.
• Faster clearance rate — 20 air changes per hour became the working post-pandemic specification for active-outbreak operation, with normal-operation ramp-back to 12 air changes per hour.
• Vessel-wide contingency ventilation — the ability to isolate a specific deck or cabin block from the general HVAC recirculation if an outbreak spreads beyond the dedicated isolation rooms. Implemented via motorised dampers on the cabin block supply and return at the AHU connection, with the BMS configuration locking the affected zone to single-pass fresh-air-only operation.
• Peracetic acid surface sanitiser exposure management — peracetic acid 0.4 ppm STEL is the post-pandemic Australian cruise-line standard surface sanitiser chemistry. The cleaning crew applies it to high-touch surfaces (handrails, door handles, lift buttons) on a 4-hour cycle during a heightened outbreak alert, and the extract path picks up the peracetic vapour from the active wipe-down.

Ferry terminal AMSA SOLAS — high-frequency commuter peaks

The Sydney Ferries fleet operated by TfNSW, Captain Cook Cruises, Manly Fast Ferry, the Brisbane CityCats fleet operated by TransLink, the Melbourne Port Phillip Ferries and the SeaLink fleet operate high-frequency commuter services with 10 to 20 minute service intervals on the major routes and peak passenger loadings of 200 to 600 per service. The Spirit of Tasmania I and II operated by TT-Line for the Tasmanian government across the Bass Strait between Devonport, Melbourne and Geelong handles 1,500 to 1,800 passengers plus 600 to 800 vehicles per crossing on a different operational profile — one crossing per day in each direction in shoulder season, two per day in peak season.

The HVAC design points are:

• AS 1668.2 outdoor air at 10 L/s per person on the waiting hall, sized against the peak commuter density rather than the daily average. CO2 monitoring at the ticketing counter and the gangway boarding interface for early warning of the peak.
• Elevated rates at the gangway boarding interface where queue density spikes to 1.5 to 2.0 passengers per square metre during the commuter peak. Local outdoor-air uplift of 30 to 50 percent over the baseline AS 1668.2 number.
• Norovirus and influenza protocol on the public-facing hard surfaces. Peracetic acid 0.4 ppm STEL exposure target on the wipe-down cycle. HEPA filtration on the waiting hall AHU return path on the post-2020 specification.
• Spirit of Tasmania bunker fuel zone management at the bunkering interface on the Devonport, Melbourne and Geelong terminal sides. AS/NZS 60079 Zone 1 around the bunkering manifold during a fuel transfer operation. AS 1940 flammable liquids on the storage. The bunkering operation is scheduled around the passenger turnover so the passenger embark and the bunkering are not concurrent.
• Vehicle deck ventilation on the Spirit of Tasmania. The car deck ventilation operates at 8 to 12 air changes per hour during the loading and unloading peaks, with CO 30 ppm TWA and NOx 5 ppm exposure targets. The crew supervising the loading and unloading operates in the car deck during the peak surge. CO sensors with interlock to the extract fans.
• Cabin and lounge accommodation on the Spirit of Tasmania. The overnight passenger cabins on the Spirit run ASHRAE 62.1 at 5 to 7.5 L/s per person, with full conditioning at 22 degrees Celsius and acoustic NC 30 to NC 35 (the Bass Strait can be rough so the cabin is the passenger refuge for many passengers during the crossing).
• Galley on the Spirit of Tasmania and the Captain Cook Cruises larger vessels. NFPA 96 hood extract on the cooking line, smaller scale than a cruise vessel but the same fire-rated grease-riser construction. SBKJ SBSF-1525 produces the fire-rated seam-fold grease duct.

Ferry passenger biosecurity Border Force — the international ferry route

The international ferry routes touching Australia are limited (the Stradbroke ferry and the Kangaroo Island ferry are domestic; the Spirit of Tasmania is interstate but domestic from a customs and Border Force perspective). The Norfolk Island ferry interface and the few international cruise-style ferry operations that touch the Torres Strait carry the AQIS Biosecurity Act 2015 and Australian Border Force overlay on the smaller scale.

The HVAC implications mirror the cruise terminal biosecurity cascade at smaller scale — AQIS inspection bench at negative pressure to capture spillage from quarantine declarations, Border Force inspection at neutral pressure with biometric SmartGate, baggage handling at neutral, public meet-and-greet at slightly positive.

Vessel theatre and broadway show lounge — acoustic NC 25 and pyrotechnic smoke clearance

The cruise vessel theatre and broadway show lounge carry the tightest acoustic target on the vessel — NC 25 across the 1,200 to 1,800 seat theatre footprint. The acoustic target drives sound-attenuator plenum construction throughout the supply and extract, with longitudinal seam welds on the SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder producing the 316L attenuator plenum.

The pyrotechnic smoke clearance is the second-most-demanding ventilation requirement in the theatre. Broadway-style pyrotechnic effects, fog machines, haze and the occasional flash-pot create a smoke load that has to clear from the auditorium within a 60-second target under NFPA 301 and AS 1668.1. Powered smoke extract at the theatre roof apex sized to maintain the smoke-free layer above the highest seating row. Smoke-rated 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour spiral exhaust risers on the SBKJ SBFB-1500 spiral fitting former plus the SBKJ SBSF-1525 for the fire-rated seam-fold work.

Vessel engine room, generator, laundry, workshop, rescue boat and lifeboat

Beyond the propulsion engine room, the cruise vessel carries multiple machinery spaces each with their own HVAC requirement:

• Generator room. The vessel-electrical-load generators (typically 4 to 6 medium-speed marine diesels on a major cruise vessel, or LNG dual-fuel on the newer specifications). AS/NZS 60079 Zone 2 across the generator room, Zone 1 around the fuel-oil purifier. 6 to 12 air changes per hour. Same WES exposure controls as the propulsion engine room.
• Laundry. The ship laundry processes 6,000 to 20,000 kilograms of linen per operating day across the bed linen, the bath towels, the staff uniforms and the food-service linen. High-temperature drum dryers and the chemical-cleaning solvents drive elevated extract at the laundry. Dedicated extract on the dryer stack and on the chemical-cleaning bench. The laundry humidity load is the second-largest moisture source on the vessel after the pool deck.
• Workshop. The crew workshop (machine shop, electrical shop, paint locker, welding bay) operates with welding-fume extract on the welding bay, paint-vapour extract on the paint locker (AS/NZS 60079 Zone 2 inside the paint locker), and general workshop extract.
• Rescue boat and lifeboat embarkation deck. Open-deck space with natural ventilation but the lifeboat hangar storage (where lifeboats are stowed in enclosed bays on some specifications) requires mechanical ventilation to manage the off-gassing from the lifeboat batteries and the emergency rations storage.

Terminal customs, quarantine baggage and AQIS surveillance

The terminal-side biosecurity, customs and quarantine HVAC is the most pressure-cascade-dense zone in the cruise terminal:

• Australian Border Force primary line. SmartGate eGate biometric processing, manual passport inspection counter for non-eGate eligible passengers, declaration card collection. Neutral to slightly positive pressure. 10 L/s per person plus elevated rate at the queue density spike.
• AQIS biosecurity inspection bench. Negative pressure 15 to 30 Pascal relative to the surrounding terminal to capture spillage from any quarantine-listed organic declaration. Dedicated extract on the inspection bench discharging to atmosphere via a dedicated stack 3 plus metres clear of any HVAC supply intake. 316L stainless duct on the extract path because the inspection sometimes involves cutting open agricultural product samples and the chloride exposure from food acids corrodes galvanised duct at the seams. SBKJ SBAL-V at 316L marine grade with stainless tooling produces the AQIS bench extract.
• Quarantine baggage holding. Bags flagged for quarantine inspection are held in a sub-compartment of the baggage hall under continuous AQIS surveillance. Modest HVAC with negative pressure relative to the public baggage hall to prevent any contaminant migration outward.
• AQIS detector-dog handling area. The biosecurity detector dogs work the baggage carousel and the public meet-and-greet sniffing for prohibited imports. The dog handling area at the rear of the terminal includes kennel space with dedicated ventilation.
• Border Force interview rooms. Where a passenger is referred for secondary inspection, the interview is conducted in a small private room with positive pressure relative to the public space to maintain the privacy and to prevent any acoustic bleed.

Terminal VIP, elite, priority lounge, disabled, medical, first aid

The major Australian cruise terminals all include premium passenger lounges for the cruise-line elite tier programs and the first-class cabin passengers:

• VIP, elite and priority lounge. P&O Australia Pacific Pearl tier, Princess Captain's Circle, Cunard World Club, Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Diamond tier, Norwegian Latitudes Diamond, MSC Voyagers Club Diamond, Holland America Mariner Society, Seabourn Club Diamond, Silversea Venetian Society, Regent Seven Seas Society, Oceania Club, Viking Explorer Society, Disney Castaway Club, Scenic Club, Aurora and Coral Expeditions loyalty programs. Each terminal hosts a lounge ranging from 100 to 800 square metres with full conditioning, premium food and beverage service, and elevated AS 1668.2 outdoor-air rate (15 to 25 L/s per person) reflecting the lower-density occupancy.
• Disabled accommodation. AS 1428.1 DDA accessible queue paths, accessible toilets, accessible meet-and-greet seating, accessible boarding gangway interface. Dedicated comfort ventilation at the accessible positions.
• Medical screening cell and first aid. The post-pandemic specification includes a medical screening cell with the ASHRAE 170 isolation room described under cruise terminal HVAC duct above. First-aid station for in-terminal medical events with dedicated AHU isolating the first-aid area from the general terminal supply.

Terminal cafe, restaurant and duty-free

The terminal-side food and beverage retail and the duty-free shop run under the general AS 1668.2 outdoor-air rate plus the NFPA 96 hood extract on the cafe and restaurant cooking lines. Smaller scale than the vessel galley but the same fire-rated grease-riser construction on any cooking line with grease-laden vapour. SBKJ SBSF-1525 produces the fire-rated seam-fold grease duct.

The duty-free shop carries no special HVAC overlay beyond the general terminal supply, except for the bonded-warehouse implications of the AS 1668.2 rate at the back-of-house storage where duty-free stock is held under Australian Border Force surveillance pre-loading onto the vessel.

Terminal administration, Border Force, AQIS, harbour master, pilot and tug

The terminal administration block at the rear of the building hosts the cruise-line port-side staff (typically 8 to 25 staff per terminal turnaround day), the Australian Border Force terminal office, the AQIS biosecurity terminal office, the harbour-master terminal office, the pilot office and the tug operator office. Each carries the standard AS 1668.2 office-occupancy outdoor-air rate (10 L/s per person at design occupancy) with full conditioning and rectangular galvanised duct on the SBKJ SBAL-V auto duct line.

Duct material selection — GAL, 316L marine grade, fire-rated and spark-resistant

The duct material selection across the typical Australian cruise terminal and passenger ship duct package is:

• Galvanised steel G90 (Z275 in EN), 0.6 to 1.0 millimetre gauge. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of the duct package — general terminal supply and return, terminal administration block, ship interior spaces away from salt-spray exposure (inboard cabins, interior corridor supply, atrium return on the inboard side), retail concourse, public meet-and-greet. Produced on the SBKJ SBAL-V auto duct line in rectangular with TDF flange forming, integrated stiffener bead rolling and Pittsburgh seam closure.
• 316L marine-grade stainless steel, 1.5 millimetre gauge. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of the duct package — cruise galley supply and extract (salt-spray exposure plus chloride load from food acids and the chlorine deep clean), ship hospital isolation room (chlorine bleach and peracetic acid corrosion), cabin and suite supply on the salt-spray side (the outside cabins with balconies and verandas), AQIS biosecurity inspection extract (food acid corrosion), engine room bunker-fuel-oil purifier extract (corrosive bunker-fuel mist), 316L galley wet-zone duct, and 316L sound-attenuator plenum on the theatre and the cabin acoustic separation. SBKJ SBAL-V configured with 316L tooling produces the rectangular at 1.5 millimetre; SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer at 1500, 1602 or 2020 millimetre capacity configured for 316L coil produces the round.
• Spark-resistant 316L stainless or aluminium, 1.0 to 1.5 millimetre gauge. Approximately 10 to 20 percent of the duct package — engine room Zone 1 bunker-fuel-oil purifier extract, LNG dual-fuel bunkering manifold extract, lithium-ion BESS extract on the hybrid vessels, paint locker extract. SBKJ spark-resistant SBTF spiral configuration with non-ferrous tooling produces the spark-resistant spiral. SBKJ SBAL-V at 316L marine grade with stainless tooling produces the spark-resistant rectangular.
• Fire-rated 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour construction per AS 1530.4 and NFPA 96. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of the duct package — cruise galley grease riser, smoke spill duct on the terminal and the vessel, engine room emergency extract through the accommodation block, theatre smoke clearance riser, multi-deck atrium smoke clearance riser. SBKJ SBSF-1525 produces the fire-rated seam-fold work.
• Heavy-gauge 316L or galvanised, 1.5 to 2.0 millimetre gauge. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of the duct package — engine room exhaust plenum, generator room exhaust plenum, large AHU plenums on the vessel and the terminal. SBKJ SBPC1500 plasma table cuts the heavy-gauge access plates; SBKJ SBLR-600 longitudinal seam welder produces the heavy-gauge plenum welds.
• Pre-insulated double-skin spiral, 0.8 to 1.5 millimetre gauge with continuous polyurethane foam between inner and outer skin. Specified on conditioned supply mains running through unconditioned voids on the vessel and on the terminal roof voids. SBKJ pre-insulated double-skin SBTF spiral configuration produces this.

Smoke management — AS 1668.1, NFPA 301, IMO SOLAS

The smoke management overlay applies to the cruise terminal under AS 1668.1 across the assembly hall, the retail concourse and the administration block. On the vessel side, NFPA 301 and IMO SOLAS apply across the multi-deck atrium, the theatre, the dining rooms, the cabin block corridors and the engine room emergency extract.

The working approach is:

• Powered smoke exhaust at the terminal roof apex sized to maintain a smoke-free layer above the highest sprinkler head, integrated with sprinkler activation under AS 2118 and detection under AS 1670.
• Multi-deck atrium smoke clearance on the vessel via powered roof extract sized to keep the smoke-free layer above the highest accommodation deck. Smoke-rated 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour spiral exhaust risers.
• Theatre smoke clearance sized for the 60-second pyrotechnic smoke clearance target under NFPA 301 and AS 1668.1.
• Engine room emergency extract integrated with the SOLAS fire dampers and the AS 1530.4 fire-rated extract to clear the engine room atmosphere ahead of fixed gaseous suppression discharge.
• Cabin-block smoke control on the vessel via cabin-corridor smoke-extract risers sized to keep the corridor smoke-free during a cabin fire while the occupants are mustered to the lifeboat station.
• AS 1851 maintenance regime. Annual fire damper test, fan run test, sprinkler discharge test, detection system test on both the terminal and the vessel sides.

NABERS, IMO MARPOL Annex VI and the operator net-zero commitments

NABERS for cruise terminals is not yet a separate rating but the major cruise-terminal operators (Port Authority of NSW, Brisbane Marine Pilots, Fremantle Ports, Tasports) all carry NABERS Energy targets on the terminal building under the general office and assembly building category. The cruise-line operator net-zero commitments (Carnival Corporation 2050 net-zero, Royal Caribbean Group 2050 net-zero, Norwegian 2050 net-zero, MSC 2050 net-zero) drive the vessel-side efficiency requirements but apply less directly to the terminal HVAC.

The HVAC duct optimisations that move the NABERS rating on the terminal side are:

• Spiral mains at 8 to 10 metres per second for low pressure loss and low fan energy. Fan energy at 1.2 to 1.8 W per L/s on the NABERS-competitive band. SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer (1500, 1602 or 2020 millimetre capacity depending on the main trunk size) produces the long mainlines.
• AS/NZS 4254 Class C leakage minimum on terminal-side construction; Class B is the standard cruise-line technical specification on the vessel side.
• Pre-insulated double-skin spiral on conditioned mains through unconditioned roof voids.
• Full ductwork commissioning records — leakage test certificates per AS 4254, air balance reports per AABC or NEBB, smoke control commissioning report per AS 1668.1, AS 1530.4 fire-rated grease-riser furnace test certificates, ASHRAE 170 isolation room commissioning report.
• Heat recovery on the outdoor-air pathway. Thermal wheel or plate exchanger on the AHU outdoor-air pathway recovers 60 to 75 percent of the temperature difference between outdoor and return air.
• Demand-controlled ventilation. CO2 sensors at the SmartGate hall and the baggage carousel, occupancy sensors at the retail concourse, and the BMS modulates outdoor air rate to meet the AS 1668.2 minimum under actual occupancy rather than design occupancy.
• Shore-power connection (cold-ironing). The IMO MARPOL Annex VI emissions cap drives the operator commitment to shore-power connection at the terminal-side berth, allowing the vessel to switch off the auxiliary generators while alongside. The shore-power infrastructure includes BESS, transformer, switchgear and HVAC for the shore-power plant room. The vessel-side connection panel is on the engine room AS/NZS 60079 Zone 2 boundary.

Worked example — duct package for a 5,500-passenger cruise vessel turnaround at White Bay Cruise Terminal Sydney

To make the numbers concrete, here is a worked example for the duct package on a 5,500 passenger cruise vessel turnaround at the White Bay Cruise Terminal Sydney — with the terminal side at approximately 8,000 square metres of assembly hall, AQIS, customs, retail, premium lounge and administration, and the vessel side at approximately 4,200 cabin berths plus crew, main galley, multi-deck atrium, theatre, multiple specialty dining restaurants, vessel hospital, bridge, engine control room and engine room.

Step 1 — Confirm building and vessel scale

Terminal side: 8,000 square metres assembly hall, customs, AQIS, baggage and retail; 800 square metres administration block; 200 square metres medical screening and isolation; 600 square metres premium lounge; 400 square metres plant. Vessel side: 4,200 passenger berths plus 1,600 crew berths in 2,100 cabins; main galley 2,800 square metres feeding 5,800 across breakfast, lunch, dinner and 24-hour service; 8 specialty dining galleys at 80 to 180 square metres each; multi-deck atrium 12 decks; theatre 1,650 seats; vessel hospital 24 beds plus 4 isolation rooms; bridge and engine control room; engine room with bunker-fuel handling and shore-power connection.

Step 2 — Calculate total outdoor air demand

Terminal side: assembly hall at 10 L/s per person against 5,500 surge = 55,000 L/s; SmartGate uplift 8,000 L/s; AQIS inspection extract 5,000 L/s; baggage hall 8,000 L/s; retail 3,500 L/s; administration 800 L/s; medical isolation 1,800 L/s; premium lounge 2,500 L/s. Terminal total approximately 80,000 to 90,000 L/s.

Vessel side: cabin and suite supply at 5 to 10 L/s per person across 5,800 berths = 35,000 to 50,000 L/s; main galley extract 80,000 to 180,000 cubic metres per hour = 22,000 to 50,000 L/s; specialty galley extract 8,000 to 14,000 L/s; atrium and theatre 18,000 L/s; vessel hospital 3,500 L/s; bridge and engine control room 600 L/s; engine room 40,000 to 80,000 L/s (combustion air plus heat extract). Vessel total approximately 150,000 to 220,000 L/s.

Step 3 — Locate and size AHUs

Terminal side: four assembly-hall AHUs at 20,000 L/s each with N+1 redundancy; dedicated AQIS extract AHU at 5,000 L/s; dedicated medical isolation AHU at 1,800 L/s with full HEPA H14 single-pass extract; premium lounge AHU at 3,000 L/s; administration AHU at 1,000 L/s. Vessel side: cabin and suite AHUs typically 18 to 24 distributed by deck and zone, each 4,000 to 8,000 L/s; main galley supply AHU at 60,000 to 80,000 L/s with dedicated tempered make-up; main galley extract through dedicated grease-riser fan at 80,000 to 180,000 cubic metres per hour; vessel hospital AHU at 3,000 L/s with HEPA H14 isolation extract dedicated; engine room ventilation 40,000 to 80,000 L/s through dedicated combustion-air and heat-extract fans.

Step 4 — Size main supply trunks

Terminal-side assembly-hall AHU at 20,000 L/s at 10 metres per second velocity supplies a 1,596 millimetre diameter main trunk — round up to 1,600 millimetre spiral on the SBKJ SBTF-1602 spiral tubeformer. Vessel-side cabin AHU at 6,000 L/s at 8 metres per second supplies a 977 millimetre main — round up to 1,000 millimetre spiral. Vessel-side main galley extract at 50,000 L/s at 10 metres per second supplies a 2,524 millimetre diameter main — multiple parallel 1,400 to 1,600 millimetre spirals at the galley extract manifold transitioning to single risers above the galley.

Step 5 — Branch and terminal distribution

Terminal branch trunks step down through 1,200, 1,000, 700 and 500 millimetre diameters across the assembly hall. SmartGate dropped supply terminals at 300 to 500 millimetre with adjustable jet diffusers. AQIS inspection bench extract grilles at 300 to 500 millimetre with 316L stainless construction. Premium lounge branch distribution at 400 to 600 millimetre. Vessel branch trunks step down through 800, 500 and 250 millimetre diameters across the cabin deck. Cabin supply branch at 80 to 150 millimetre to the cabin grille. Main galley supply through the perimeter make-up terminals at 600 to 1,000 millimetre rectangular on the SBKJ SBAL-V at 316L marine grade. Main galley extract through dedicated grease riser at 1,200 to 1,600 millimetre spiral fire-rated on the SBKJ SBSF-1525.

Step 6 — Add smoke management and emergency extract

Terminal: 12 to 16 powered roof exhaust fans at 8,000 to 12,000 L/s each on the assembly hall, with 1,400 to 1,800 millimetre spiral risers from the apex down to the fan platform. Smoke-rated spiral exhaust on the SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer in heavy-gauge galvanised with EI 60 or EI 120 fire-rated wrapping per AS 1530.4.

Vessel: multi-deck atrium smoke clearance via 4 to 8 powered roof extract fans at the atrium top deck, sized for the smoke-free layer above the highest accommodation deck. Theatre smoke clearance for the 60-second pyrotechnic clearance target via 4 powered extract fans at the theatre roof apex. Engine room emergency extract integrated with the SOLAS fire dampers and fixed gaseous suppression.

Step 7 — Add engine room and bunker-fuel zone HVAC

Engine room ventilation 40,000 to 80,000 L/s across combustion-air supply and heat extract through dedicated combustion-air and heat-extract fans. AS/NZS 60079 Zone 1 around the bunker-fuel-oil purifier with spark-resistant duct on the SBKJ SBTF spiral in 316L marine grade. LNG dual-fuel bunkering zone (if LNG dual-fuel vessel) with vent stack management and gas-detection interlock. Heavy-gauge engine-room exhaust plenum on the SBKJ SBPC1500 plus SBKJ SBLR-600. Bunker tank vent risers terminating 3 plus metres above the upper-deck HVAC supply intake.

Step 8 — Calculate total annual duct production

For a duct contractor producing a cruise vessel newbuild plus refit programme alongside the terminal-side build-out, annual output across the segment lands at approximately 60,000 to 120,000 square metres of duct surface area. The SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer (1500, 1602 or 2020 millimetre capacity depending on the trunk diameter) at 25 to 40 metres per minute runs 1,000 to 1,800 hours per year. The SBKJ SBAL-V auto duct line runs 800 to 1,500 hours per year across rectangular galvanised and 316L marine grade. The SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder runs 200 to 500 hours per year on 316L plenum and sound attenuator. The SBKJ SBSF-1525 runs 150 to 350 hours per year on the fire-rated seam-fold grease duct and smoke spill duct. The SBKJ SBFB-1500 produces the spiral grease-riser fittings and the engine room spark-resistant extract fittings at 200 to 400 hours per year. The SBKJ SBPC1500 plasma table runs 150 to 350 hours on the heavy-gauge access plates, damper bodies and engine room inspection covers. The SBKJ SBLR-600 longitudinal seam welder runs 100 to 300 hours on the engine room exhaust plenum and the AHU plenum construction.

Operator-specific notes — Carnival Australia, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC, the small-ship and expedition operators

Different operators have different technical specifications, different vessel-class profiles, and different procurement standards. The HVAC duct system has to flex to suit. Here are the operator-specific notes our engineers carry into every cruise and ferry HVAC design review:

Carnival Australia (P&O, Princess, Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn) — Sydney-headquartered

The Sydney-headquartered arm of Carnival Corporation, operating P&O Australia (Pacific Encounter, Pacific Adventure, Pacific Explorer), Princess Cruises (Coral Princess, Royal Princess and the Australian deployments of the broader Princess fleet), Cunard (Queen Elizabeth), Holland America and Seabourn deployments in Australian waters. Sydney head office at 465 Victoria Avenue Chatswood drives the technical specification and the operator preferences across the Australian-deployed Carnival fleet. The HVAC procurement specification leans toward the established Carnival global engineering specification with strong Australian compliance overlay (AMSA NSCV, AQIS Biosecurity Act 2015, FSANZ, state EPA). The new vessel class for the Australian market lands in 2026 to 2028 with LNG dual-fuel propulsion and the AS/NZS 60079 LNG bunkering zone implications across the engine room HVAC.

Royal Caribbean Australia (Royal Caribbean Group)

The Australian deployment of the Royal Caribbean Group fleet (Quantum-class, Voyager-class, and the smaller Australian seasonal deployments). Strong technical specification overlay with the IMO MARPOL Annex VI emissions compliance and the post-2020 norovirus and pandemic-readiness upgrades. Royal Caribbean ice-skating rink installations on the Quantum and Oasis classes drive the indoor-rink HVAC discussed under cruise ship public spaces.

Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America, MSC Cruises

The other major operators with seasonal Australian deployments. Each carries their own global technical specification with Australian compliance overlay.

Crystal, Silversea, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania, Viking Ocean Cruises — the luxury small-ship segment

The luxury small-ship operators with 200 to 800 passenger capacity. Higher per-passenger HVAC specification (suite-class ventilation at 10 L/s per person across the entire vessel, premium acoustic NC 25 to NC 30 in cabins, dedicated balcony air-curtain interlock on every cabin), more demanding materials specification (316L marine grade across substantially more of the duct package), and tighter operator technical-acceptance protocols.

Disney Cruise Line

The Disney fleet has seasonal Australian deployment (Disney Wonder seasonal). High family-occupancy density drives elevated outdoor-air rates in family-suite cabins, and the high-volume children's facilities (Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge, Vibe) carry their own ventilation profile.

Scenic Eclipse, Aurora Expeditions, Coral Expeditions — the expedition segment

The expedition and small-ship operators — Scenic Eclipse, Aurora Expeditions, Coral Expeditions — deploy to the Kimberley, the Great Barrier Reef, the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic, the Northwest Passage. The expedition profile drives a more rugged HVAC specification (heavier-gauge duct construction to handle the vibration on the Antarctic-class ice-strengthened hull), and the smaller passenger count (60 to 250) allows higher per-passenger HVAC specification.

Spirit of Tasmania (TT-Line, Tasmanian Government)

Tasmanian government-owned ferry operator. The Spirit of Tasmania I and II are being replaced by the Spirit of Tasmania III and IV through 2026 with the new fleet entering service at the Geelong end of the Bass Strait crossing (replacing Melbourne). The new fleet specification carries upgraded engine room HVAC for the IMO MARPOL Annex VI compliance, upgraded passenger cabin specifications, and improved car deck ventilation for the 600 to 800 vehicle loading.

Sydney Ferries (TfNSW), Captain Cook Cruises, Manly Fast Ferry

The Sydney Harbour commuter and tourist ferry operators. Sydney Ferries operated by Transport for NSW (TfNSW) under the Transdev Sydney Ferries franchise. Captain Cook Cruises operates the harbour cruise and tourist services. Manly Fast Ferry operates the high-speed Manly to Circular Quay route.

Brisbane CityCats (TransLink), Melbourne Port Phillip Ferries, SeaLink

Brisbane CityCats operated by TransLink (Queensland public transport authority). Melbourne Port Phillip Ferries operates the cross-bay services from Docklands and Williamstown. SeaLink operates the major regional ferry services including the North Stradbroke Island ferry and the Kangaroo Island ferry.

Industry bodies and the regulatory environment

The industry bodies and the regulatory environment for the Australian cruise terminal, passenger ship and ferry sector are:

• CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) Australasia. The peak industry body for the cruise sector across Australia and New Zealand.
• Ports Australia. The peak industry body for the port and harbour operators.
• AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority). The federal maritime regulator. Administers the Navigation Act 2012, the Marine Order series, the NSCV for domestic commercial vessels, the IMO instruments (SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW) and the AQIS biosecurity overlay on the vessel side.
• Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (Biosecurity Australia, formerly AQIS). The federal biosecurity regulator. Administers the Biosecurity Act 2015 and the vessel pratique clearance.
• Australian Border Force. The federal customs and immigration regulator. Administers the SmartGate, the immigration inspection and the customs declaration at the cruise terminal.
• Port Authority of NSW. Operates the Port of Sydney including the White Bay Cruise Terminal and the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay.
• Brisbane Marine Pilots and Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd. Operate the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point.
• Fremantle Ports. Operates the Fremantle Passenger Terminal.
• Flinders Ports. Operates Port Adelaide Outer Harbor.
• Tasports. Operates the Hobart Macquarie Wharf and the Devonport ferry terminal.
• Ports North. Operates the Cairns Marine cruise terminal.
• Darwin Port. Operates the Darwin Cruise terminal.
• FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand). The federal food-safety regulator. Administers the Food Standards Code for the cruise galley and the terminal food retail.
• Safe Work Australia. Federal work-health-and-safety regulator. Sets the WES exposure standards.

Procurement timeline — from concept to commissioning on a cruise vessel newbuild or refit

The typical procurement timeline our engineers carry into early-engagement discussions is:

• Months 1 to 6 (concept and shipyard contract). Vessel class selection, shipyard contract, technical specification freeze, IMO SOLAS and MARPOL Annex VI compliance strategy, AMSA NSCV reference (for Australian-flagged), AQIS biosecurity compatibility, FSANZ galley specification, operator technical specification overlay.
• Months 6 to 18 (developed design and shipyard procurement). Detailed zoning, duct sizing on each zone, AHU specification, smoke management calculation, hazardous-zone classification, lithium-ion BESS controls on the hybrid vessels, HVAC ductwork tender to the shipyard's HVAC subcontractor.
• Months 18 to 24 (shipyard fabrication). Duct fabrication on the shipyard's SBKJ lines, mainlines delivered first, then branch and terminal distribution, then cabin block and public space duct.
• Months 24 to 36 (shipyard installation and outfitting). Mainlines installed first via the hull-block construction process, then cabin block and public space duct, then commissioning prep.
• Months 36 to 42 (commissioning, sea trials and handover). AS 4254 leakage testing on the terminal-side duct; cruise-line technical-acceptance protocols on the vessel side; AMSA NSCV survey for Australian-flagged; ASHRAE 170 isolation room commissioning; FSANZ galley inspection; sea trials with all HVAC plant operational; handover to the cruise-line technical department.
• Years 5 to 7 and 10 to 12 (refit cycles). Periodic refit returns with HVAC plant upgrade, refrigerant transition (R32, R454B, R744 progression), filtration upgrade, isolation room expansion under operator outbreak protocol update.

The SBKJ machine package — what produces this duct

The SBKJ machine package that produces the duct mix described above is engineered from our Box Hill North VIC office in Melbourne, with the engineering team and the field service support based in Australia. The machines themselves are world-class, with the engineering, sizing, commissioning and after-sales support delivered locally:

SBAL-V auto duct line — the workhorse for rectangular galvanised and 316L marine grade

The SBKJ SBAL-V auto duct line handles galvanised G90 coil and 316L marine-grade stainless coil from 0.6 to 1.5 millimetre thickness, producing rectangular duct up to 1,500 millimetres wide with TDF flange forming, integrated stiffener bead rolling and Pittsburgh seam closure. Output rates 8 to 12 metres per minute on standard configurations, 6 to 9 metres per minute on the 1.5 millimetre 316L marine-grade setting. This is the workhorse line for general terminal duct (galvanised), cruise galley supply and extract (316L marine grade), cabin and suite supply on the salt-spray side (316L marine grade), ship hospital isolation room duct (316L marine grade) and AQIS biosecurity inspection extract (316L marine grade). Stainless-capable tooling is rapid-changeover so a single line can swap between galvanised and 316L production within a shift without cross-contamination of the stainless surface with carbon-steel residue.

SBAL-III — alternative auto duct line configuration

The SBKJ SBAL-III is the alternative auto duct line configuration with extended capability set, supporting heavier gauge and wider duct sections than the SBAL-V on certain contractor specifications. The SBKJ Box Hill North VIC engineering team sizes the choice between SBAL-V and SBAL-III against the contractor's coil specification, daily output target and production-mix balance.

SBSF-1525 — fire-rated grease riser, smoke spill and 316L seam-fold work

The SBKJ SBSF-1525 produces stainless seam-fold work on fittings, transitions and small-diameter cruise galley extract, and fire-rated 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour grease-riser construction per NFPA 96 and AS 1530.4. Pairs with the SBAL-V for the rectangular straight runs and the SB-ZF1500 for the plenum and attenuator longitudinal seams. Critical for the cruise galley grease riser, the theatre smoke clearance riser, the multi-deck atrium smoke clearance riser and the engine room emergency extract through the accommodation block.

SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder — 316L plenum, sound attenuator and HEPA housing

The SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder produces longitudinal seam welds on 316L marine-grade plenum and sound attenuator construction at production rates that hand TIG welding cannot match. Critical for the cabin acoustic separation, the theatre NC 25 attenuator, the cruise galley sound attenuator, the ship hospital HEPA H14 housing plenum and the AQIS biosecurity inspection extract plenum.

SBFB-1500 — spiral fitting former for fume, grease and steam

The SBKJ SBFB-1500 spiral fitting former produces elbows, branch tees, reducers and transitions for the spiral mainline distribution — particularly the cruise galley grease-riser fittings, the engine room spark-resistant extract fittings, the smoke spill riser fittings and the multi-deck atrium clearance riser fittings.

SBPC1500 plasma table — heavy gauge access plates and engine room damper bodies

The SBKJ SBPC1500 plasma table cuts access plates, fire dampers, smoke dampers, motorised volume control dampers, inspection covers and the duct shapes that the forming lines cannot directly produce. CNC controlled, cuts galvanised and 316L stainless coil up to 6 millimetre thickness for the heavy-gauge engine room plenum access plates and the bunker-fuel-oil purifier extract damper bodies.

SBLR-600 longitudinal seam welder — engine room exhaust plenum and AHU plenum

The SBKJ SBLR-600 longitudinal seam welder produces longitudinal seam welds on heavy-gauge plenum and AHU plenum construction where stitch-welding is not adequate to the static pressure or the structural load. Common on the engine room exhaust plenum, the generator room exhaust plenum, the main galley extract plenum, the AQIS biosecurity inspection extract plenum and the smoke-exhaust-fan inlet plenum.

SBTF-1500, SBTF-1602 and SBTF-2020 spiral tubeformer — long mainlines

The SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer family produces round spiral duct in three capacity bands — SBTF-1500 up to 1,500 millimetre diameter for the cabin block supply mains and the terminal branch trunks, SBTF-1602 up to 1,602 millimetre diameter for the terminal assembly-hall main trunks and the cruise galley grease riser, and SBTF-2020 up to 2,020 millimetre diameter for the ship main supply trunks, the multi-deck atrium clearance riser and the engine room combustion-air supply. Output rates 25 to 40 metres per minute. Produced in galvanised, 316L marine grade, and pre-insulated double-skin formats. The SBKJ Box Hill North VIC engineering team sizes the choice between the three SBTF capacity bands against the contractor's main trunk diameter and the production-mix balance.

SB-ZF1500 dovetail seam closer — alternative

The SB-ZF1500 spiral seam configuration is an alternative seam-closure approach used on the SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer where the dovetail seam geometry is preferred over the standard spiral seam — common on the heavy-gauge engine room exhaust spiral and the fire-rated smoke spill spiral.

Spark-resistant configurations

The SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer (1500, 1602 and 2020 capacities) and the SBKJ SBAL-V auto duct line are available in spark-resistant configurations with non-ferrous tooling on the forming line and 316L marine-grade stainless or aluminium duct material. These are specified for the engine room Zone 1 bunker-fuel-oil purifier extract, the LNG dual-fuel bunkering manifold extract, the lithium-ion BESS extract on the hybrid vessels, the paint locker extract, the shore-power plant room extract on the terminal and the terminal-side bunker-fuel handling interface.

Field service and aftermarket support — Box Hill North VIC engineering

The SBKJ field service and aftermarket support is delivered from our Box Hill North VIC engineering office in Melbourne, with field service engineers based in Australia. The typical aftermarket support package across the cruise terminal, passenger ship and ferry segment is:

• Machine commissioning on site at the duct contractor's facility — typically 5 to 10 days on the SBAL-V or SBAL-III, 3 to 7 days on the SBTF-1500/1602/2020 spiral tubeformer, 2 to 4 days on each of the SBSF-1525, SB-ZF1500, SBFB-1500, SBPC1500 and SBLR-600.
• Operator training — typically a 5-day training course on the SBAL-V and SBTF spiral tubeformer, with the contractor's lead operators trained to a level where they can handle routine setup, changeover between galvanised and 316L marine grade, and minor adjustment without SBKJ field service support.
• Spare parts inventory — held in Melbourne at our Box Hill North VIC office for next-business-day despatch to the major Australian shipyards and HVAC contractors (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle, Hobart).
• Annual preventive maintenance return visit — typically 2 to 4 days on each line annually to verify alignment, replace consumable wear parts, recalibrate the control system and update the firmware if required.
• Engineering support for new coil specifications — when the contractor needs to add a new gauge, a new material (typically when adding 316L marine grade to a previously galvanised-only line) or a new duct configuration to the production mix, SBKJ engineering supports the tooling change and the production setup.
• Project-specific engineering support — for unusual configurations (spark-resistant, fire-rated 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour, pre-insulated double-skin, ultra-high pressure class) SBKJ engineering supports the specification and the fabrication test pieces ahead of the production run.
• ARBS 2026 attendance — the SBKJ engineering team is attending ARBS 2026 in Sydney in May 2026 (Australia's premier HVAC trade show at the ICC Sydney Darling Harbour) with the full machine demonstration programme. Cruise terminal and passenger-ship HVAC consultants and contractors are welcome to book a meeting at the SBKJ stand for technical discussion and project quotation.

FAQ

What outdoor air rate does AS 1668.2 require for a cruise terminal handling 3,000 to 5,500 passenger surge?

AS 1668.2 classifies the cruise terminal arrival and departure hall as NCC Class 9b assembly with high transient occupancy peaking at 3,000 to 5,500 passengers per ship turnaround. Design outdoor air at 10 L/s per person across the assembly hall plus elevated rates at the Australian Border Force SmartGate eGate banks, AQIS biosecurity inspection lines and customs declaration counters where queue density spikes to 2.0 to 2.5 persons per square metre during the peak embark and debark window. CO2 below 1,000 ppm at design occupancy because the 90-minute embark surge creates the worst-case CO2 spike of any terminal building type in Australia.

How is a cruise ship galley ventilated under NFPA 96 with mass feeding 3,000 plus passengers and crew?

NFPA 96 hood face velocity 0.5 to 0.6 metres per second on the cooking line. Total main galley extract 80,000 to 180,000 cubic metres per hour with grease-laden vapour management, UV-C ozone grease treatment, water-wash hood collection and dedicated grease riser to a roof-level grease-resistant fan. FSANZ HACCP cold-side preparation zone. IQF blast freezing at minus 25 degrees Celsius on ammonia R717 with R744 CO2 secondary cascade. 316L marine-grade stainless 1.5 millimetre on the SBKJ SBAL-V with 316L tooling; SBKJ SBSF-1525 produces the fire-rated NFPA 96 grease-duct seam folds at 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour rating per AS 1530.4.

What ventilation does a cruise ship engine room require under AS/NZS 60079 with bunker fuel and LNG dual-fuel?

Zone 1 around the bunker-fuel-oil purifier, the LNG dual-fuel bunkering manifold and the HFO day tank, with Zone 2 across the broader engine room space. 6 to 15 air changes per hour with the higher end on dual-fuel LNG vessels. Exposure controls: BFO benzene 1 ppm STEL (the killer compound on heavy fuel oil), SO2 2 ppm STEL, NOx 5 ppm, CO 30 ppm TWA, PM2.5 10 micrograms per cubic metre, HCN 5 ppm STEL on emergency fire response. Heavy-gauge 1.5 to 2.0 millimetre 316L stainless on the bunker-fuel zone extract with spark-resistant non-ferrous tooling. SBKJ SBPC1500 plasma table for heavy-gauge access plates and SBKJ SBLR-600 longitudinal seam welder for the engine room exhaust plenum welds.

How does Australian Border Force and AQIS biosecurity drive the cruise terminal HVAC zoning?

Pressure cascade from sterile arrivals (slight positive to gangway), through the SmartGate hall (neutral), into the AQIS inspection bench (negative to capture spillage from quarantine-listed organic declarations), into the baggage hall (neutral) and out into public meet-and-greet (slight positive). Norovirus and gastrointestinal outbreak protocol adds an isolation room within the medical screening cell — single-pass HEPA H14 extract at 20 plus air changes per hour, negative 25 to 75 Pascal, ASHRAE 170 vessel hospital reference. Peracetic acid surface sanitiser 0.4 ppm STEL exposure target on the active wipe-down cycle.

How is a passenger ship cabin and stateroom HVAC zoned to ASHRAE 62.1?

ASHRAE 62.1 at 5 L/s per person base outdoor air plus 0.3 to 0.6 L/s per square metre of cabin floor area, delivered via fan-coil unit or individual VRF/VRV head. Suite-class cabins step up to 7.5 to 10 L/s per person with dedicated balcony air-curtain interlock against salt-spray ingestion. R32 plus R454B plus R744 refrigerant transition under IMO MARPOL Annex VI phase-down with NH3 R717 retained on the heavy ship refrigeration and galley walk-in (WES 25 ppm TWA). SBKJ SBAL-V at 316L marine grade 1.5 millimetre produces the cabin and suite duct on the salt-spray exposure side.

What HVAC isolation does a passenger ship hospital require for norovirus and COVID?

ASHRAE 170 negative pressure 25 to 75 Pascal relative to the corridor, single-pass HEPA H14 extract direct to atmosphere via a dedicated extract riser, 12 to 20 air changes per hour minimum, fresh-air-only supply with no recirculation, peracetic acid 0.4 ppm STEL surface sanitiser, Cl2 chlorine 0.5 ppm STEL on bleach deep clean, double-door airlock vestibule. SBKJ SBAL-V at 316L marine grade with stainless tooling produces the isolation room duct; SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder produces the longitudinal welds on the HEPA H14 housing plenum.

How is the Spirit of Tasmania engine room HVAC designed for the Bass Strait crossing?

The Spirit of Tasmania I and II handle 1,500 to 1,800 passengers plus 600 to 800 vehicles per crossing on HFO and MGO main engines. Engine room HVAC at 8 to 12 air changes per hour at engine running condition; bunker-fuel-oil purifier room AS/NZS 60079 Zone 1; BFO benzene 1 ppm STEL as the critical contaminant; SO2 2 ppm STEL on post-2020 IMO MARPOL Annex VI 0.5 percent sulfur cap (0.1 percent ECA on certain routes); CO 30 ppm TWA and NOx 5 ppm. Heavy-gauge 316L 1.5 to 2.0 millimetre on the bunker-fuel zone extract with spark-resistant non-ferrous tooling.

How is a Sydney Ferries or Brisbane CityCats terminal HVAC sized for commuter peaks?

NCC Class 9b assembly handling 200 to 600 commuter passenger peak load on 10 to 20 minute frequency. AS 1668.2 outdoor air at 10 L/s per person on the waiting hall plus elevated rates at ticketing and gangway boarding interface where queue density spikes to 1.5 to 2.0 passengers per square metre. Norovirus and influenza protocol on public-facing hard surfaces uses peracetic acid 0.4 ppm STEL with HEPA filtration on the waiting hall AHU return on the post-2020 specification.

What WES exposure targets drive HVAC design across a cruise terminal and passenger ship complex?

BFO bunker fuel oil benzene 1 ppm STEL (the killer on heavy fuel oil), SO2 2 ppm STEL (HFO post-IMO MARPOL Annex VI), NOx 5 ppm, CO 30 ppm TWA / 100 ppm ceiling, PM2.5 10 micrograms per cubic metre (passenger smoking, terminal traffic, vessel funnel ingestion), R32 and R454B refrigerant leak thresholds, R744 CO2 5,000 ppm TWA, NH3 ammonia 25 ppm TWA (ship refrigeration and galley walk-in), Cl2 chlorine 0.5 ppm STEL (pool and norovirus deep clean), peracetic acid 0.4 ppm STEL (norovirus and COVID surface disinfect), formaldehyde 1 ppm STEL (joinery off-gassing), HF 1.8 ppm STEL (lithium-ion BESS thermal runaway), HCN 5 ppm STEL on emergency fire response.

What SBKJ machine combination produces a typical cruise terminal plus passenger ship duct package?

Approximately 40 to 50 percent galvanised rectangular on the SBKJ SBAL-V auto duct line for general terminal supply at 0.6 to 1.0 millimetre, 30 to 40 percent 316L marine-grade stainless on the SBKJ SBAL-V with 316L tooling at 1.5 millimetre for cruise galley, cabin and suite salt-spray exposure side, ship hospital isolation and AQIS extract, 10 to 20 percent spark-resistant SBTF spiral for engine room Zone 1 bunker fuel and LNG dual-fuel zones, fire-rated SBKJ SBSF-1525 for the 250 degrees Celsius 2-hour smoke spill and grease riser per AS 1530.4 and NFPA 96, heavy-gauge plenum on SBKJ SBPC1500 plus SBKJ SBLR-600, SBKJ SB-ZF1500 stitchwelder for 316L plenum and HEPA housing, SBKJ SBFB-1500 for grease-riser and spark-resistant fittings, SBKJ SBTF spiral tubeformer at 1500, 1602 or 2020 millimetre capacity for the long ship trunk mains.