Major fires on container vessels count among the worst hazards of the global shipping industry. Names such as the “Hanjin Pennsylvania” (4,000 TEU; fire on November 11, 2002, two fatalities, constructive total loss), the “Hyundai Fortune” (5,551 TEU; fire on March 21, 2006) and the “MSC Flaminia” (6,732 TEU; fire on July 14, 2012; three fatalities, two seriously injured, constructive total loss) are just a few of the best-known examples from the past.
Every ineffective attempt to put out such a major fire increases the damage to the cargo, the vessel and the environment. Moreover, the crew is in great danger when a fire breaks out on board. Crew members face considerable risks when fighting such fires with the equipment currently required by law. Some, as was most recently the case with the “MSC Flaminia”, are unable to extinguish or contain the fire and ultimately pay with their lives.
In remote locations and on the open sea, it can often be hours or even days after a fire has broken out before external assistance arrives. As a rule, only seagoing tugs carry the necessary equipment for effective firefighting. Until they arrive, the crew has to rely on its own resources and the fire can spread extensively. As a result, as with the “MSC Flaminia”, it can take weeks to bring the fire under control.
To increase the effectiveness of firefighting, Chapter II-2/10 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was amended in 2014 by MSC 92, applying to new ships constructed on or after 1 January 2016. Although these changes represent a first step in the right direction, and are expressly = welcomed by IUMI, they do not go far enough. A concern remains with the firefighting arrangements on existing ships. Even with the new regulation, there is a risk that fires on board cannot efficiently be fought without putting members of the crew in immediate danger.
With the growing size of container vessels, the challenge of insufficient firefighting arrangements is becoming even greater.
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