A spate of containership fires has highlighted the problem of misdeclared cargoes. But the vessels themselves could be better designed to prevent casualtie.
The International Union of Marine Insurance is calling on the container shipping sector to improve the firefighting capabilities on board boxships following a spate of casualties this year.
“Firefighting capabilities on board containerships are deficient and we need to see more headway to improve the safety of the crew, the environment, the cargo and the ships themselves,” IUMI policy forum chair Helle Hammer told delegates at a meeting in Norway.
“Mis- and non-declaration of cargo has serious safety implications and is the root cause behind these tragic incidents. There is agreement among experts that the current means of controlling a fire in the cargo hold are of little effect. The safety objectives set out in Solas do not seem to be met, and in the light of the various recent casualties, the time for action is now.”
Containership fires have been in the spotlight this year, with the TT Club now reckoning there is a casualty at least once every 30 days, up from once every 60 days in the past year.
Incidents this year have included fires on Yantian Express, APL Vancouver, E.R. Kobe, KMTC Hong Kong, and the loss of Grimaldi’s Grande America.
The IUMI raised concerns about boxship fires at the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee in June. It is now calling for support from flag states to bring the issue to the IMO agenda in 2020.
In a white paper published in 2017, the IUMI raised a number of concerns about inadequate fire detection and prevention on and under deck on boxships, which it will use as the foundation for the IMO proposal.
“Our position paper recommends that firefighting systems should be arranged to segregate the ship into fire compartments where the fire can be isolated to prevent it from spreading,” Ms Hammer said.
“Onboard systems could then cool the containers and allow them to burn out in a controlled manner. Fixed monitors to adequately attack the fire and improved fire-detection system are further measures proposed to allow for an appropriate response mechanism.”
He added that better prevention measures were also needed to address the concerning rise in cargo misdeclaration.
“We are encouraged to see larger carriers already beginning to crack down on this problem,” Ms Hammer said.
“The sad reality is that we can no longer sit idle. Containerships are increasing in size and complexity and this will only exacerbate the problem.”
Lloyd’s List will host a forum in London on November 14 in London where the issue of preventing misdeclared dangerous goods leading to fires will be discussed with speakers from the IMO, TT Club, Mediterranean Shipping Co and Peter Döhle.
Source: Lloyd’s
