The Marine Safety Forum has published Safety Alert 24-07 relating to an incident where a Flag State inspection found that all of the CO2 bottles for the engine room fire […]
Safety Flashes
IMCA safety flashes disseminate important information on incidents and potential hazards and the lessons learnt from them that can help prevent incidents occurring elsewhere in the industry.
Individual safety events are available individually online, tagged and searchable, while the traditional PDF collections are also available for download.
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All members are encouraged to contribute relevant safety-related information – please visit our Safety Flash Reporting page for details on the submission process.
IMCA Contact
Nicholas Hough
Consultant - Safety and Security
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Inappropriate automatic activation of fixed fire-fighting system
What happened The fixed firefighting system in the engine room on a harbour tug automatically activated and all the gas in the tanks emptied. This occurred after two consecutive blackouts […]
MAIB: Deep fat fryer fire
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch published Safety Digest 2/2023, consisting of lessons from recent Marine Accident Reports. IMCA has reviewed the report and passes on to members some of […]
Fire alarm activation in engine room
What happened There was a small fire in a vessel engine room. There was little damage and no-one was harmed. The incident occurred while a supply vessel was operating within […]
Safety Flashes – a summary of 2022
This is a summary of the 29 IMCA Safety Flashes published during 2022. All the published safety events or incidents are available on the IMCA website as individual web pages […]
Diver Finger Injury – Scrubber Blower Fan
What happened A diver suffered a minor hand injury when he put his hand on part of a fan which should not have been exposed. The incident occurred on a […]
MSF: CO2 system left non-operational after servicing
What Happened The Marine Safety Forum has published Safety Alert 22-10 relating to an important safety system being left non-operational after it was serviced. The incident happened when a vessel […]
MSF: Corrosion in fire-fighting equipment
What happened The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) has published Safety Alert 22-09 relating to observations involving the CO2 firefighting system onboard a vessel. Significant corrosion was found during routine monthly […]
MAIB: Blockage of fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system pilot hoses
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published Safety Bulletin 1/2022 into a fire on board a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship in September 2021. What happened A fire broke out […]
American P&I Club: unfamiliarity with semi-portable fire extinguishers
As part of its Good Catch for Seafarers safety guidance, the American P&I Club has published an alert which highlights the importance of familiarity with fire-fighting equipment. What happened? A […]
Condition of fire-fighting installation and equipment
What happened A member highlights two instances of fire-fighting equipment not being in an appropriate condition. Blocked sprinklers and nozzles It was observed that the nozzles of the fire main […]
Wrong key for the CO2 room
What happened During a weekly inspection it was revealed that the key for the CO2 fixed firefighting system compartment, which was stored in a break glass box adjacent to the […]
Inhalation of toxic fumes during hot work
What happened Two crew members were exposed to toxic fumes resulting in dizziness, headaches, difficulty in breathing, and low blood oxygen levels. The incident occurred during hot work when thruster […]
MAIB: Engine failure and subsequent fire
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has published it’s report 2/2021 into an engine failure and subsequent fire on ro-ro cargo vessel Finlandia Seaways in April 2018. What happened On […]
Fire in welding fumes extraction system
What happened? In a shore-based workshop facility, the filters inside a welding fume extraction unit ignited whilst in operation. On investigating an initial smell of burning, smoke was seen escaping […]
Inadvertent activation of condensed aerosol fire extinguishing system leads to a fatality
What happened The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued Safety Bulletin SB1/2020 highlighting a potentially serious hazard, associated with condensed aerosol firefighting suppressant particles after a fatal accident […]
Fire in incinerator exhaust gas manifold
What happened? During burning of sludge in the vessel incinerator, there was a high exhaust gas temperature alarm. Smoke appeared from the incinerator exhaust gas manifold, followed by a fire […]
Hazard hunt: fire dampers and fixed firefighting systems
What happened? A member reports four recent Port State Control detentions for its vessels; two of which related to fire safety, fire dampers and fixed firefighting equipment. In one incident, […]
Three fires
Incident 1: Property damage A vessel was carrying two (working and loaded) deep freezers as deck cargo, destined for delivery to a platform. They were stored inside two metal baskets. […]
Unexpected Release of Water During Annual Maintenance of CO2 Fixed Firefighting System
What happened An incident took place during annual maintenance of CO2 fixed firefighting equipment on a vessel, in the emergency generator switchboard room. There was an unplanned and unexpected release […]
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