Incident Overview
A container vessel skilled a fireplace in one among its cargo holds whereas underway within the open sea. The incident concerned cargo that had been incorrectly declared as non-dangerous, later discovered to be topic to IMDG Code harmful items classification, in keeping with the report printed by Swedish Membership.
Sequence of Occasions
Whereas at sea, the crew noticed smoke coming from a cargo maintain vent. The Grasp raised the overall alarm, mustered the crew, and confirmed all personnel had been protected.The fireplace crew shut off air flow and closed fireplace dampers for the maintain. Trying entry by way of an entry hatch, they encountered dense smoke and no visibility, prompting them to retreat and safe the hatch.
The Grasp ordered a CO₂ launch into the affected maintain and turned the vessel again to the earlier port. Smoke diminished, and deck checks revealed no hotspots. The adjoining maintain was inspected with no indicators of warmth or harm. After berthing, the native fireplace brigade boarded and confirmed the fireplace was extinguished.
Contributing Elements
Investigation decided that the cargo manifest didn’t point out any harmful items within the affected maintain. The fireplace originated in a container of charcoal that had been declared as non-dangerous. Laboratory exams later confirmed the fabric met IMDG Code Class 4.2 standards (self-heating substances). Insufficient classification and incorrect declaration allowed the cargo to bypass required dealing with measures.
Actions Taken
Air flow shut down and fireplace dampers closed for the affected maintain.
CO₂ was launched into the cargo maintain to suppress the fireplace.
Vessel returned to port for firefighting help.
Cargo sampling and laboratory evaluation had been carried out to find out classification and trigger.
Security Suggestions
Confirm cargo documentation, significantly for commodities with recognized self-heating dangers, resembling charcoal.
Guarantee shippers comply with IMDG Code necessities for warmth therapy and cooling earlier than packing.
Require a legitimate UN self-heating take a look at certification earlier than accepting exemptions from harmful items classification.
Implement stricter verification procedures for cargo manifests to detect and tackle potential misdeclarations.
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Supply: Swedish Membership
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