Norway’s Accident Investigation Board presents an accident report, where Astrid Sofie, fishing vessel, caught fire on November 28 2018. The investigation didn’t identify whether the lack of training was decisive for the situation.
Based on the vessel’s fire alarm, the fire was located in the workshop. The six crewmembers onboard the vessel tried to extinguish the fire. Yet, the fire developed very fast and resulted to the crew evacuating the vessel, boarding a nearby vessel that came to the rescue.
The vessel on fire, sank in the evening the same day.
According to the investigation, the development of the fire shows that it originated either in the vessel’s technical switchboard room or in the adjacent workshop and then spread to both rooms and into the vessel.
AIB Norway informs that
The shipowner did not have routines for securing of flammable material and the crew did not have protective equipment for fire fighting.
Also, the investigation revealed that the approval for the vessel’s structural fire protection and technical switchboard room was not in line with current regulations. This was mainly based on the fact that the drawings of the structural fire protection sent to the Norwegian Maritime Authority by the shipowner was insufficient.
Following the regulations during fire onboard, the crew should be trained accordingly when dealing with this kind of emergency situations; Yet, the investigation didn’t identify whether the lack of training was decisive for the situation.
In light of the incident, the Norwegian AIB provides safety recommendations resulting from the investigation:
- The investigation has shown that the ship owner did not have any routine for fastening of flammable material. The shipowner did not have any plans for emergency training, exercises and drills, nor were there carried out fire drills on board. Even though lack of training was not decisive in this event, this may be crucial in other emergency situations.
- The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that BK Fisk review its safety management system, including developing plans for emergency situations and exercises and drills on board, establish routines for fastening of flammable material and evaluate the need for necessary fire protective equipment on board.
