Engine Room Fire, a Missing Oiler and Lithium-Ion Containers On Deck
At 01:40, 12 nm south of Split, a fire is detected in the auxiliary engine room of your 1,800 TEU container ship. Thick black smoke is issuing from the engine room casing; the fixed CO2 system has not been released. The fire pump is running but fire main pressure is falling. One oiler is missing; he was last seen in the workshop. The ship is carrying 14 containers of UN 3480 lithium-ion batteries on deck, stowed two bays forward of the accommodation. Wind is 25 kn from the northwest, sea 3 m, and the coastguard is 30 minutes away. The emergency generator is running, the accommodation is clear, and the CO2 system covers the engine room only. The master must decide on boundary cooling, search, and CO2 release.
1. Set out the first 10 minutes of incident command and firefighting actions.
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Alarm and muster. Sound the general alarm, muster the crew at the emergency stations and take a full head count. The bridge becomes the command post. Confirm the location and extent of the fire, and record the time. Account for the missing oiler immediately and establish his last known position.
Containment. Stop fuel, ventilation and electrical supplies to the auxiliary engine room. Close fire doors and all openings to the space. Start boundary cooling on the casing, bulkheads and deck above. The falling fire-main pressure indicates a leak or a pump problem: start the emergency fire pump, isolate the damaged section, and keep adequate pressure on the fire main. Do not open the engine room to investigate; that would feed the fire.
Firefighting. Send two BA teams with thermal imaging, charged hose lines and a covering team. Their task is boundary cooling and reconnaissance, not entry into a fully involved space. Keep the CO2 system ready but do not release it until everyone is accounted for. Check the lithium-ion container temperatures from a distance and keep crew clear of their vicinity. Brief the coastguard and prepare the lifeboats, but do not abandon unless the fire threatens the accommodation or the DG stow.
2. Decide whether to search for the missing oiler before releasing CO2. Give your reasoning and the search/CO2 release procedure.
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CO2 is lethal, so the space must not be flooded while anyone is inside. But releasing CO2 with a missing man is also a decision to abandon him. The master must make a rapid, time-limited risk assessment: is the fire and smoke survivable for a BA search team, and is there a realistic chance of finding him?
Search. Use two BA teams with thermal imaging, tag lines and radio, covered by a charged hose. Search the workshop, escape routes, toilets and the bottom of the engine room. Try to contact the oiler by PA and radio, and check whether he has already mustered elsewhere. Set a strict time limit, for example 5–10 minutes. If the space is untenable, or the search team is at risk, withdraw.
Release. Once all personnel are out or the search has been abandoned, seal the space, account for every person, and release CO2 from the remote station. Maintain boundary cooling and do not open the space for at least 12 hours or until the manufacturer's guidance and temperature monitoring allow. Inform the coastguard that a person may be inside. Re-entry later requires BA, gas detection and a planned rescue team. The decision must be recorded, with the reasons for the timing.
3. Outline external communications and the risks from the lithium-ion battery containers.
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Communications. Transmit a Mayday or urgency message on VHF DSC Channel 70 and voice Channel 16, giving position, vessel name, nature of fire, missing person and dangerous goods. Use MF/HF, Inmarsat or a satellite phone as backup, and activate the SART and AIS as appropriate. Inform the coastguard, company/DPA, flag State, port State, charterers and P&I correspondent. Request firefighting tugs or helicopter assistance if the fire threatens the accommodation.
Lithium-ion risk. UN 3480 batteries can enter thermal runaway, reignite after apparent extinction and release toxic and flammable gases, including hydrogen fluoride. Do not open the containers. Monitor their temperature from a safe distance with a thermal imager and keep boundary cooling on the deck and adjacent containers. Keep the accommodation upwind, close vents and doors, and muster on the windward side. If a battery container is visibly involved, consider jettisoning it only if it is safe and the master judges it necessary to prevent catastrophic spread; inform the coastguard first. A fire in the engine room plus a DG fire on deck may exceed the ship's firefighting capability, so prepare the lifeboats and be ready to abandon.