By
Michele Witthaus |
Following a report on a serious fire on the main vehicle deck of a ro-ro ferry in June 2010, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety flyer with guidelines for similar vessels.
The fire on the main vehicle deck of the Commodore Clipper, which was caused by an overheating reefer cable connection during an overnight passage, was difficult to extinguish due to tightly packed trailers, trailer roofs blocking access to the flames by the vessel’s drenchers and access problems for manual firefighting. Passengers were prevented from leaving the ferry for 20 hours after the fire due to access problems.
MAIB urges operators to check their vessels’ vehicle decks for critical and vulnerable systems and to examine all reefer trailer power cables regularly. Additional measures suggested include potential upgrading of existing electrical protection to a system that can detect in-line phase faults and provides residual current detection, and installation of boundary cooling systems to provide protection if vehicle drenching systems fail to extinguish a fire.
The need for quick reaction to early indications of fire on vehicle decks is a key factor highlighted in the flyer, which advocates that operators review emergency response plans and identify the most effective ways in which vessels that trade on regular routes can obtain assistance from local authorities.
The full report on the Commodore Clipper accident recommends that the vessel’s flag State, the Bahamas, make a submission to the IMO to consider a requirement for all existing ro-ro passenger vessels to have a means of determining the effect of damage caused by firefighting on vessels’ stability. The report also suggests that the Bahamas, together with the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, submit a paper to the IMO regarding the potential provision of emergency pedestrian access to shore for all vessels whose principal means of access is via a single ramp to a vehicle, special category or ro-ro space.