IMCA provides lessons learned from an incident in which a harbour tug’s firefighting system activated and emptied the gas tanks.
What happened
As explained by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), the fixed firefighting system in the engine room on a harbour tug automatically activated and all the gas in the tanks emptied. This occurred after two consecutive blackouts on the tug within 24 hours. No-one was harmed.
What went wrong
- It was discovered that the firefighting system was activated by a sudden rise in battery voltage following the malfunction of the solenoid valve on the pilot cylinder, after the blackout;
- The low voltage (24v) electrical system in the tug may not have sufficient power to supply the critical equipment it was being used for;
- There was a lack of indication on the bridge or in the engine room regarding the operation of the electrical system; it was not possible to discern whether it was in emergency mode or normal operational mode.
Lessons learned
- Check the functionality of vessels’ general emergency response systems:
- Review the ships’ electrical system, especially systems affecting critical equipment – is there sufficient current supplied to operate the system in all cases?
- Review blackout and emergency drill protocol in case of loss of power;