New AMSA report raises concerns about the alarming increase in vessel fires
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued an urgent Maritime Safety Awareness report on fire safety in order to raise awareness of the risks and prevent further incidents as the number of vessel fires continues to grow alarmingly since 2020.
According to AMSA, fire and explosion incidents on ships result in the most expensive insurance claims in the marine industry. Fires spread quickly on ships and can be particularly difficult to contain, often resulting in crew abandoning ship. There have been over 70 reported serious fire incidents on container ships worldwide in the past 5 years.
Key messages: - Having an effective maintenance plan to prevent and reduce the risk of malfunction or equipment failure will ensure there are no delays in the detection of a fire and in the implementation of firefighting to help protect the crew and passengers, as well as cargo.
- Emergency escape routes should be maintained in a safe condition, clear of obstacles and clearly marked.
- All fire protection systems and firefighting systems are to be maintained ready for use, and properly tested and inspected in accordance to the SOLAS Chapter II-2, Regulations 14 (Operational Readiness).
- Fire drills help the ship’s crew better understand the basics of fire prevention and prepare the crew in dealing with emergency situations as a result of a fire on board.
In the report, AMSA presents two incident and case studies to draw lessons from...
Photo credit AMSA
A fire broke out in the lower cargo hold of a general cargo ship whilst berthed. The fire started during hot work to remove sea fastenings from the tween deck in preparation for cargo discharge operations.
The investigation identified the operators had not effectively implemented the safety management system hot work permit procedures and fundamental risk controls such as maintaining a continuous fire watch and
100 | The Report • June 2023 • Issue 104
protecting combustible cargo with fire retardant coverings to prevent the spread of fire. Items of cargo stowed in the lower hold below the work site were not adequately assessed as a fire risk and protected before starting the hot work. Of concern is that lessons learnt from previous similar incidents were not properly considered, noting this was the tenth fire-related incident on the company’s ships in the past 14 years.
INCIDENT ONE New AMSA...
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144
