EMSA’s Firesafe study is part of the work that the Agency has undertaken on fires on ro-ro passenger ships and was conducted by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Bureau Veritas and Stena Line. EMSA decided to focus on electrical fire as ignition risk and fire extinguishing failure, after consultation with experts from Maritime Administrations and Accident Investigation Bodies.
The study showed that approximately 30% of fires on ro-ro passenger ships originate on the vehicle deck and 90% of these, in the cargo being transported.
FIRESAFE suggested a number of risk control measures in order to mitigate the associated risk, and concluded that cost efficient measures can be taken to reduce the risk for both focus areas.
In September 2015, EMSA held a workshop on fires on ro-ro decks for maritime administrations and accident investigation bodies, together with relevant speakers from industry. Following this workshop, a Group of Experts (GoE) was formed to discuss and further analyse this issue. One of the first tasks of the group was to evaluate and score the different risk areas that were identified in the casualty analysis correspondence group of the IMO FSI sub-committee which led to the development of document FSI 21/5.
The results of this exercise showed that the experts consider that electrical fire as ignition risk and fire extinguishing failure are the greatest risk contributors. Consequently, it was proposed that EMSA would initiate a study in order to further investigate these two risks and potential risk control options.
EMSA then commissioned the so-called FIRESAFE study which was undertaken by the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, supported by Bureau Veritas and Stena Line, and was finalised in December 2016.
Please click herebelow to read the report:
Source & Image credit: EMSA