No Smoking Sign

No Smoking Sign

A no smoking sign is used aboard ships and offshore vessels to mark compartments where lighting a cigarette, cigar, or pipe is strictly forbidden because of fire, fume, or explosion risk. This pictogram-only version is typically fixed at engine room entrances, paint lockers, fuel bunkering stations, cargo holds carrying flammable goods, and anywhere near oxygen or acetylene cylinder storage. Because it relies purely on the internationally recognised ISO 7010 symbol rather than wording, a no smoking sign of this type communicates instantly to crew and visitors regardless of the language they speak, making it a practical choice for multinational crews and vessels calling at ports worldwide.

This no smoking sign follows the ISO 7010 prohibition format precisely: a black cigarette silhouette on a white background, struck through by a red diagonal bar inside a red circle, with no accompanying text. It corresponds to IMPA code 33.8500 and ISSA code 47.585.00, the standard maritime catalogue references ship chandlers and marine safety suppliers use when ordering replacement signage for a vessel’s safety equipment list. Stocking the exact IMPA/ISSA reference for this no smoking sign keeps procurement fast during port calls and dry-dock refits.

Where Smoking Restrictions Matter Most Onboard

Smoking prohibitions are among the most heavily enforced rules in a vessel’s safety management system, and this sign is typically one of dozens installed as part of the ship’s fire safety plan. It is commonly mounted beside bunkering manifolds, inside machinery spaces, at the entrance to paint and chemical stores, and in any compartment classified as a hazardous area under the vessel’s safety data. Crews browsing our full range of prohibition signs often pair this pictogram with flammable-materials warning signs to build a complete hazard-communication set for a single compartment, so nothing is left ambiguous during a safety audit or port state control inspection.

Each sign is produced on fire-retardant material designed to withstand conditions found in engine rooms, weather decks, and enclosed cargo spaces. The printed pictogram resists fading from prolonged UV exposure, oil films, and high humidity, so the symbol stays legible for years rather than needing early replacement. A photoluminescent option is also available, letting the pictogram remain visible for a short period during a power failure or emergency lighting changeover, useful wherever smoking-restricted areas sit close to escape routes. The base material also resists the lubricants and cleaning solvents handled daily in machinery spaces, and the finished sign will not delaminate or curl at the edges even after repeated washdowns during routine compartment cleaning.

Stock is held in both self-adhesive vinyl, suited to bulkheads and doors, and rigid plastic panel, suited to exterior or high-traffic mounting points. Ordering by the IMPA 33.8500 or ISSA 47.585.00 reference lets a ship’s master or purchasing agent specify exactly which no smoking sign is needed without describing the design in words, speeding up quoting and reducing the chance of the wrong item arriving during a busy turnaround. Both formats are cut to sizes commonly specified in vessel safety equipment plans, and larger custom sizes can be produced on request for compartments where the sign needs to be readable from a greater distance.

Supporting Fleet-Wide Fire Safety Compliance

Consistent prohibition signage across a fleet reduces confusion when crew transfer between vessels, and following the pictogram conventions set out in AS 1319 and the ISO 7010 standard helps a shipowner demonstrate its signage program meets recognised international practice, port to port. Keeping every vessel’s no smoking sign locations mapped to the same symbol design also simplifies external safety audits and insurer inspections. Superintendents managing multiple hulls often keep a master signage register cross-referenced to IMPA and ISSA codes precisely so this kind of standardisation can be checked at a glance rather than re-inspected vessel by vessel.

In practice, a chief officer building a new fire safety plan typically walks the vessel deck by deck, noting every compartment where an open flame or ignition source would be dangerous, then orders signage in a single batch rather than piecemeal. Ordering this sign alongside related bunkering and hot-work warnings during that same walkthrough avoids a second procurement cycle later, and having the correct IMPA and ISSA references on hand means the chandler can supply matching signage even when the vessel is in a foreign port with limited local stock. This also leaves a dated record of exactly which compartments were signed off, useful if a port state control officer later asks how the fire safety plan’s signage was verified.