Fire at sea – some timely reminders (Safety4Sea)
The online safety magazine https://safety4sea.com, which amongst other organisations, re-publishes IMCA safety flashes, has published an article entitled “Tackling fire onboard: Where we stand”. It is based on findings from the Safety and Shipping Review 2021 published by Allianz. Some excerpts are published here.
Four common causes of fire onboard
- Oil leakage: Leakage from high-pressure fuel oil pipes is the most common risk for fire onboard as oil from these pipes can accidentally fall in high temperature areas due to the machinery involved.
- Do: Insulate any hot surface with a temperature above 220 °C to prevent any oil encountering a hot surface.
- Don’t: Invest in poor quality materials regarding pipes and/or associated fittings.
- Electrical failures: Leaving personal electronic items unattended always entails risks, as there have been cases of faulty devices, overloading of extension cables and plugs, etc.
- Do: Remove defective equipment from use/service, when damage is identified.
- Don’t: Use multi-gang extension leads and high current devices onboard.
- Flammable cargo: It is not uncommon that fires erupt during loading and unloading of specific cargoes, like coal, as well as from mis-declared hazardous cargo in containers, such as self-igniting charcoal, chemicals and batteries.
- Do: Check that all packages are properly marked and labelled; consider using a Container Packing Checklist.
- Don’t: Pack damaged packages or stow heavy goods on top of light goods.
- Hot work: Many cargoes, including a wide range of bulk cargoes and general cargoes can be ignited by hot work.
- Do: Carefully prepare and isolate the work area before work starts.
- Don’t: Neglect a written plan for the operation, agreed by everyone involved.
Members may wish to refer to:
- Fire door left wedged open
- Condition of fire-fighting installation and equipment
- Catering crew unfamiliar with firefighting systems and emergency stops
- Smouldering fire in tumble dryer
- Cabin fire caused by light fitting overheating
- Portable electrical equipment – serious fire in the accommodation
- Serious engine room fire whilst divers in saturation
- Fire in engine room on platform supply vessel
Safety Event
Published: 20 June 2022
Download: 
IMCA SF 15/22
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