Engine Room Fire with Two Persons Unaccounted For
At 23:15, smoke and flames are reported from the fuel oil booster pump module in the engine room of a 1,900 TEU container ship. No.2 generator is running; the fixed CO2 system protects the engine room and has 48 cylinders, last inspected 14 months ago. The fire party reports heavy black smoke and heat at the module, with no visible boundary involvement yet. The engine room contains about 4,000 L of lube oil and a daily fuel tank holding 6 m³. Ventilation flaps are open. The CO2 release alarm is operational. Two crew are unaccounted for and were last seen near the purifier room. The master must choose between a portable-extinguisher attack, boundary cooling while searching, or sealing the space and releasing CO2. The ship is 30 nm from port, and a second ship is 8 nm away.
1. How do you size up the fire and what immediate actions precede any fixed-system decision?
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Treat this as a serious engine-room fire until proven otherwise. Muster all crew, take a head count, and establish who is definitely missing and their likely location. Stop the affected fuel pump and isolate fuel and electrical supplies remotely if this can be done safely. Close ventilation flaps and engine-room openings to limit air, but do not trap search teams. Start boundary cooling on adjacent bulkheads and deck areas. The fire party should wear BA, use a hose line, and open the fire door only from the protected side after checking temperature and smoke. Prevent smoke spread to accommodation. Inform the master, bridge, and company; prepare the second ship and port for possible assistance. Do not release CO2 while anyone may be inside.
2. Would you release the fixed CO2 system with two crew unaccounted for?
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Not immediately. CO2 is lethal, so release is justified only when all personnel are accounted for, or when the fire makes rescue impossible and the ship and remaining crew are at greater risk. First establish whether the two crew are actually inside; muster points, radio, CCTV, or witnesses may locate them. If there is a viable rescue route, a BA search team with a charged hose and thermal imaging should attempt it while boundary cooling continues. If heat and smoke prevent entry and the fire is spreading beyond the module, evacuate all personnel from the engine room, seal the space, confirm the head count again, and release CO2. Record the decision and the reason. The master owns this judgement and should not delay sealing until the fire breaches the casing.
3. What do you do after CO2 release, and when is re-entry permitted?
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After release, keep the engine room sealed and maintain boundary cooling. Monitor bulkhead and casing temperatures and watch for smoke escaping. Do not open the space for many hours; CO2 must cool the seat of the fire. Re-entry only after the space has cooled, the atmosphere has been tested for oxygen, CO2, and flammable gas, and a BA team with thermal imaging is ready. Ventilate only under controlled conditions. Then investigate the booster pump, fuel line, and ignition source; preserve evidence and records. Notify the company, flag/class, port state, and insurer as required, and review the fire-fighting plan and CO2 inspection status. The unsafe action would be an early re-entry or premature ventilation that reintroduces oxygen to hot fuel.