Engine-room fire with a missing crew member
At 02:10, while your 105 m pusher with two tank barges is moored at a river berth near Győr, the engine-room smoke detector activates. You see smoke from the engine-room vent and flames near the auxiliary generator. The engine room has a fixed CO2 system with 8 cylinders, last inspected 11 months ago; ventilators are open. Crew: six, including you. The muster list shows the oiler should be in the engine room; he is not at the muster point. The shore fire service has been called but will take 12 minutes. The barges carry non-dangerous cargo. The fixed system's release station is outside the engine room; the engine-room door is hot. The river current is 1.1 m/s and the vessel is moored with four lines. The CO2 system is designed for the engine-room volume with all openings closed.
1. What is your immediate priority and why? Do you release CO2 now?
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My first priority is to account for all six persons and prevent the fire from spreading, not to release CO2 blindly. The oiler may be unconscious in the engine room or may have left the space; the muster list is not proof. I would sound the general alarm, muster at the outside station, call names, check the accommodation and adjacent spaces, and start boundary cooling. A search of a smoke-filled engine room should only be attempted by a trained team with breathing apparatus and a charged hose, with a lifeline and a standby person; if that team is not available, I would not send anyone in. I would not release CO2 while a person may still be inside, because the gas will kill. I would close the ventilators and engine-room openings from outside, shut down fuel and ventilation, and prepare the fixed system for release once the space is confirmed clear or the rescue is impossible and the fire threatens the barges.
2. How do you prepare the engine room for a fixed CO2 release if the missing person cannot be found?
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To prepare for release, I would close every engine-room ventilator, skylight, door, and access hatch, and stop the engine-room fans. I would shut off fuel and make sure the space is sealed, because CO2 must hold in the engine room to work. I would confirm the CO2 system is the correct one for the space and that all eight cylinders are connected. I would release from the outside station only after the final muster confirms no one is inside, or after the rescue team has withdrawn and the fire is spreading. After release, I would keep the door and vents closed, boundary-cool the adjacent spaces, and monitor for smoke or heat through the boundaries. I would not open the engine room until it has cooled and been ventilated, and then only with breathing apparatus and the fire service present. I would record the release time and the number of cylinders used.
3. The fire service arrives and wants to open the engine-room door. What do you tell them and what records do you keep?
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I would tell the fire service immediately that CO2 has been released into the engine room and that the atmosphere is oxygen-deficient and lethal. The hot door is not an invitation to open; opening it would feed the fire and endanger the team. I would hand over the vessel's fire plan, stability information, CO2 release time, the missing-person information, and the location of the fuel shut-offs. I would let the fire service decide on entry with breathing apparatus and gas monitoring, and I would keep the crew clear. I would keep boundary cooling and watch the tank barges for radiant heat. Afterwards I would record the event, the CO2 release, the missing person, and all actions in the log, and report to the port authority as required. Preserving the scene and records matters for both safety and investigation.