Liberia flag issued a Marine Advisory is to draw the attention of shipowners, operators, inspectors, masters and crew to the investigation findings after a fire, requiring activation of a fixed CO2 fire-extinguishing system, and the related maintenance and inspection items for these systems.
A vessel recently suffered an engine room fire involving the No. 2 diesel generator, which caught fire when fuel sprayed from a high-pressure pump onto the exhaust. Once the crew were out of the engine room and accounted for, the shore side fire team along with the ship’s Master and Chief Engineer decided it was safe to activate the fixed CO2 fire-extinguishing system. The system was operated and the fire was successfully extinguished.
However, during the investigation after the fire, it was noticed that of the 118 bottles dedicated to the vessel’s engine room, only 109 bottles were released. Further inspection revealed that not all the bottles had their safety pins removed from their actuating heads, which for this type of head was required for them to open.