Fire caused while welding on board cargo vessel

The Swedish P&I Club has issued its Monthly Safety Scenario for June, regarding an incident of fire on board a general cargo vessel, during sailing in a South American river. The fire was emitted during welding operations, a common practice when carrying cargo, in order to secure it. By presenting this case, the Club urges operators to think of possible actions if something similar occurred in their vessels. 

The incident

It was early morning and the general cargo vessel was sailing up a long river in South America to berth at a port. The vessel had a speed of about 2 knots over the ground in the river as there were strong currents and some wind. It was evening and the crew of the general cargo vessel prepared to secure the cargo by welding. This is a normal job when carrying steel cargo. The chief officer completed a work permit and risk assessment before the job began. As per the hot work permit a fire extinguishers were in place and one AB was the designated fire watch.

The crew welded d-rings to the tween deck to be able to secure the cargo. After a while, the bosun noticed smoke coming from the lower hold. He immediately informed the chief officer about the smoke and tried to reach the area where the smoke was coming from with a fire hose, but could not reach it. The chief officer assisted the bosun with a fire extinguisher but could not access the area, as the tween deck was full of cargo.

In the vicinity, were a couple of oxygen and acetylene bottles. The crew moved these to safety. The chief officer then ordered everyone to evacuate the cargo hold and he informed the Master who sounded the general alarm. The crew was mustered and accounted for.

A fire team was assembled and boundary cooling started. Fire hoses were also used for spraying water into the cargo hold. This did not extinguish the fire, as more smoke was escaping from the hold. The Master decided that the cargo hold hatch covers should be closed and CO2 released into it.

When the local fire brigade arrived, it was decided that the cargo hatch cover should be opened. When the hatch covers were removed, a lot of smoke escaped from the cargo hold. The fire brigade and crew sprayed water into the cargo hold. After a couple of hours the fire brigade confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.