The Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU), shared lessons learned regarding an incident where a fire broke out in the engine room of an anchored shrimp cutter causing the crew to abandon ship and the vessel to eventually sink.
What happened?
In the early morning, a fire broke out in the engine room of an anchored shrimp cutter during a break in fishing. This was initially not noticed by the sleeping crew and the main engine was running overnight to cool the fish hold.
In addition, the door to the engine room companionway was open for ventilation. When the captain accidentally discovered the fire, the flames had already spread to the entire engine room and the open companionway, meaning that it was no longer possible for the crew to fight the fire with onboard resources.
The crew of two left the burning cutter using a life raft and were rescued unharmed around an hour later. After the fire was later extinguished by external forces flown in, the cutter ultimately lost its buoyancy due to the great progress of the fire and the entry of extinguishing agent and sank. The water was contaminated by diesel fuel and hydraulic oil.
Why did it happen?
- The exact cause of the fire could not be determined after the salvage of the shipwreck due to the extensive destruction. During the investigation, however, various aspects were recognised as contributing factors to the accident:
- No anchor or fire watch. Both crew members were asleep and therefore did not notice the dangerous situation;
- Lack of fire alarm system. It was not possible to alert the crew, so that the outbreak of the fire initially remained undetected;
- Open door to the engine room companionway. The fire was probably able to spread more quickly due to a greater supply of oxygen;
- Fire extinguishing system did not fulfil its purpose. Automatic activation of the system was not fitted, manual activation was not (or no longer) possible due to the location of the installation and the type and dimensions of the system were unsuitable for the engine room of the cutter;
- Fire-fighting and emergency shutdown equipment located within the danger zone. The manual release of the extinguishing system, the fuel shut-off valves and other switches could no longer be reached;
- Lack of emergency preparedness: regular safety drills and/or trainings were not customary. The crew was forced to act spontaneously and could not fall back on previously developed and practised emergency plans.
Lessons learned
The exact cause of the fire could not be determined after the salvage of the shipwreck due to the extensive destruction. During the investigation, however, various aspects were recognised as contributing factors to the accident, including no anchor or fire watch, lack of a fire alarm system, and an open door to the engine room companionway. In addition, the fire extinguishing system did not fulfil its purpose, the firefighting and emergency shutdown equipment was located within the danger zone and there was a lack of emergency preparedness.
Therefore:
- An anchor watch should never be completely dispensed with and the less technical support is available in the form of automatic alarms, the more frequently checks must be carried out by the crew.
- If no functional fire detection and alarm systems are installed on board, a continuous fire watch must not be dispensed with.
- Fishing vessels with an enclosed engine room and/or sleeping accommodation should be equipped with a fire detection and alarm system.
- Operating elements for quick-closing fuel valves, emergency stop switches, triggers for fire extinguishing systems, etc. should be located outside the fire-resistant partitions of the engine room.
- Fire extinguishing systems should be suitable and approved for the specific purpose on board.
- Machine room doors should be self-closing and should not be held open for long periods of time. Should this nevertheless be necessary for operational reasons, it should be possible to close the door using a remote release device.
- Crew members on fishing vessels should undergo (specialised) safety and survival training before being deployed on board.
- All crew members should regularly participate in firefighting and evacuation drills and refresh safety and survival training.
- The tasks of all crew members in emergency situations should be clearly defined and regularly reminded.
