Fires and explosions

In search of a safer future at sea

Marine fires and explosions continue to rise in number and severity and the predicted increase in world trade in 2022 will inevitably see a futher escalation in events. Highly experienced fire investigator John Gow based in our European Region of Jensen Hughes the global safety, security and risk based engineering and consulting firm says that practical and effective solutions that will help reduce the number and impact of onboard fires are needed

With more than 50,000 ships registered in more than 150 nations, the international shipping industry is responsible for about 90% of world trade. Yet, as the industry expands, the sector faces significant safety challenges, including those related to fire and explosion.

The fire peril is never far from the mind of the maritime sector. The Allianz Global & Corporate Speciality (AGCS) “Safety and Shipping Review 2021 ” reports that fire claims “buck the positive overall trend for hull losses.”

In 2019 there were 40 cargo-related fires - equivalent to one fire every ten days . The Nordic Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor) noted a slight fall in the number of ship fires in 2020, but this is still above average, with approximately one fire occurring every two weeks. 2021 has seen several ship fires thus far. The X Press Pearl fire off the coast of Sri Lanka in May 2021 has been described as the country’s worst maritime ecological disaster. After burning for around 12 days, the vessel sank and reportedly lost approximately 15 tonnes of nitric acid. Other cargo was lost following the fire with some spillage into the sea.

In October 2021, a fire broke out on the MV ZIM Kingston, a fully cellular container ship built in 2008. While sailing off the coast of British Columbia, at least 10 of the ship’s cargo containers caught fire, two of which were carrying dangerous mining chemicals. Additionally, rough weather caused 40 containers carrying potentially hazardous materials to fall overboard, putting mariners at significant risk.

Fires on container vessels continue to be a problem and, as the industry returns to normal, I do not doubt that more incidents are on the horizon.

Providing a safe working environment for ships and workers is a continuous challenge, with crew fatigue cited as a contributory factor leading to human error with potentially severe outcomes, including fire.

The cruise ship industry is seeing a return to normality, but there is a long road to full recovery. During the pandemic, many vessels have been laid-up with skeleton crews on board, and as ships return to service, the potential is greater for machinery breakdown and fire to occur if protocols are not followed.

THE INDUSTRY RESPONSE

Several organisations are undertaking actions to study and understand container ship fires and explosions. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has put out a tender for a “Study Investigating Cost Efficient Measures for Reducing the Risk from Cargo fires on Container Vessels (Cargosafe)”. The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has also gathered an expert group looking into the issue of container ship fires.

As part of IUMI expert group, I look forward to contributing to developing practical and effective solutions that will help reduce the number and impact of onboard fires. Increased understanding of the problem and lessons learned from past casualties are critical to enacting these solutions.

It should be noted that misdeclaration of cargo and increasing container ship size are just two of the factors that need to be addressed when considering the problem of fires and explosions on board ship.

WHY INVESTIGATE

Incident investigations, including those identified as near misses, can uncover a great deal about the reality of a situation.

As well as establishing facts surrounding the origin (where a fire or explosion started) and cause (how it started) of an incident, the investigation can identify the adequacy of existing control measures, why they failed, and what improvements or additional measures may be required.

An investigation is part of the feedback loop that helps improve regulatory standards and risk management. They ensure that safety management systems evolve to cope with the changing environment and hazards. Understanding the circumstances and the adequacy of the emergency response can also be invaluable to identifying gaps in training or existing emergency response plans.

Establishing legal responsibility and contributory factors should be high on the list of any interested party. The accurate determination of the origin and cause of a fire or explosion is key to any subrogation that may follow such an event.

THE INVESTIGATION

A marine casualty investigation is perhaps one of the most complex investigations involving any expert. There will be many

“In 2019 there were 40 cargo-related fires - equivalent to one fire every ten days . The Nordic Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor) noted a slight fall in the number of ship fires in 2020, but this is still above average, with approximately one fire occurring every two weeks.’’

Jon Gow, Jensen Hughes

contradictory views about what type of expert should undertake such an investigation.

In my view, any complex investigation should incorporate a team approach with each member providing different technical expertise. The first thing to recognise in any fire/explosion incident is that the origin of the fire/explosion must be identified.

The origin and cause investigator must be able to understand how fire develops and spreads and reliably observe and interpret the fire damage patterns that remain.

The next step is to determine how the incident occurred. It is here that other expertise may be required from specialists like marine engineers, marine chemist, materials experts and others. Each contributes to an overall understanding of the circumstances that led to the fire or explosion event.

ASSISTING THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS

Whilst the safety of the crew and ship are paramount, some early steps can be taken to assist the investigation: > Appointing forensics early in the process; > Liaison between forensics and appointed salvors; > Documenting firefighting activities of crew and others when possible and safe to do so; > Recovering and preserving relevant documentary and electronic evidence; > Documenting formal and full witness statements as soon as reasonably possible; > Collating and preserving any digital imagery that may be available; and, > Engaging and liaising with forensics appointed by other parties.

Container ships are continually confronted with the threat of fire and explosion, which can have serious consequences for the crew, ship, environment and other mariners. We must seek to understand these incidents through thorough investigations. By utilising the lessons learned, we can help prevent and reduce the impact of ship fires and explosions and create a safer future at sea.