Interferry Ro Ro Deck Fire Safety Operational Best Practice Guidance

Transcription

1 Interferry Ro Ro Deck Fire Safety Operational Best Practice Guidance Author: Editor: Contributors: Abstract: Status: D. Johnston, BC Ferry Services J. Roos, Interferry Interferry Fire Safety Ad-hoc Working Group The purpose of this document is to establish a common set of best practices for fire safety on the vehicle decks of Ro-Pax ferries. This document is based on the outcome of the 01 Fire Safety Questionnaire, as reviewed and commented by the OWG in Copenhagen on October and as approved in principle by the OPC on 1 Jan 016 and the Interferry Board on 8 Jan 016. This document also forms the basis for an Interferry submission to MSC96. For further information, please contact: Darren Johnston Executive Director, Safety & Health British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. T: M: darren.johnston@bcferries.com or Johan Roos Director Regulatory Affairs Interferry T: M: johan.roos@interferry.com Contents 1. Introduction. Terminology. Best Practices Summary and ing A. Fire Prevention B. Fire Detection C. Fire Suppression/Extinction D. Fire propagation and suppression 6 E. Life Saving Appliances 6 F. Evacuation 7 Brussels 08/0/016 1

2 1. Introduction Between , at least seven serious fire incidents have occurred on ro-ro passenger (RoPAX) ships in Europe. The two most recent events have lead both to loss of life and total loss of the ships. Based on the accident investigation reports and other publicly available information, the Interferry Operators Policy Committee has decided to assess if mitigating actions can be identified and disseminated to the Interferry membership, with a view to prevent or mitigate similar events in the near future. Further to that, Interferry will also be engaged at the IMO in order to provide technical and operational feed-back to any regulatory discussions related to fire events.. Terminology Closed ro-ro spaces (SOLAS II-/Reg.-1) Closed ro-ro spaces are ro-ro spaces which are neither open ro-ro spaces nor weather decks. Deluge / Drencher (MSC/Circular.116) Deluge system is a system employing open nozzles attached to a piping system connected to a water supply through a valve that is opened by the operation of a detection system installed in the same areas as the nozzles or opened manually. When this valve opens, water flows into the piping system and discharges from all nozzles attached thereto. Open ro-ro spaces (SOLAS II-/Reg.-) Open ro-ro spaces are those ro-ro spaces that are either open at both ends or have an opening at one end, and are provided with adequate natural ventilation effective over their entire length through permanent openings distributed in the side plating or deckhead or from above, having a total area of at least 10% of the total area of the space sides. Weather deck (SOLAS II-/Reg.-0) Weather deck is a deck which is completely exposed to the weather from above and from at least two sides.

3 . Best Practices Summary and ing The Best Practices identified by Interferry s members are primarily of an operational nature. For design- and technical aspects that have been identified, the operators have concluded that more research will be needed to establish Best Practices, especially with regards to fluid dynamics effects related to cross winds over the open ro-ro deck. In the meanwhile, some general operational guidance is given to this matter. Furthermore, Interferry members emphasize that quick response time and immediate action are paramount. Although there is no contradiction to this in SOLAS, or any national code, it is still considered Best Practice to remind ourselves that every second counts during the early onset of an incident. The collected Best Practices have been ranked on a subjective scale as per the below. Best Practices scoring () or () are the key Interferry recommendation to operator of ro-ro passenger ships with open ro-ro decks. (1) Less important () Important () Very important Key Recommendations 1. Training and drills should emphasise the importance of a rapid response team proceeding directly to the scene of a reported smoke/fire with fire extinguishers and without stopping to dress in firefighting gear.. Training should also emphasise the importance of adopting a defensive firefighting posture after the initial response the paramount requirement being rapid establishment of containment boundaries on all sides of the fire, e.g. by means of a deluge system.. For voyages longer than 0nm, no passengers should be allowed access to any ro-ro deck when the ship is under way, without the expressed consent of the master or the designated officer. Passengers allowed access shall be supervised.. During the voyage all vehicle decks should be continuously monitored - with particular attention to connected reefer units and electric vehicles via technical equipment such as CCTV, by crew patrols or a combination of remote supervision and crew inspection.. The frequency of flushing deluge systems as prescribed in MSC.Circ should be increased from once to twice per five-year period. 6. All ro-ro passenger ships should be are fitted with addressable fire detectors, as per the mandatory requirement for new passenger ships since For installations in new ships, the deluge system should be manufactured from noncorrosive materials to prevent blockage.

4 APPENDIX All reviewed Best Practices with A. Fire Prevention Refrigeration units (reefer units) on trailers constitute an increased fire hazard, both if they operate independently of the truck s own energy feed or if they have been connected to the ship s grid. Charging of electric vehicles may constitute an increased fire hazard. Vehicles (cars, buses, trucks, etc.) that have not recently been operational and vehicles that are in disrepair may constitute an increased fire hazard due to leaking fluids, overheated brakes and similar. Refrigeration units Electric vehicles Vehicles on-board Reefer units should not be allowed to operate on their own dieselgenerator power supply and should be connected to the ship s grid. The ship should review its policy on charging electric vehicles onboard and put in place extra safeguards as needed. The Company cannot assume responsibility to vet and control the condition of vehicles and reefer units that are brought on to the ship, but increased awareness and vigilance from both terminal staff and on-board crew is recommended. A-1 The ship shall provide and only use its own connectors and cables for providing electrical power to reefer units and for charging of electrical vehicles during the voyage. A- Only qualified ship s crew shall perform the connection and disconnections of reefer units and electrical vehicles. A- The vessel s electrical circuit providing reefer connections should be fitted with a means of ground fault detection and an alarm to the engine control room. B. Fire Detection There are technology and human resource challenges in ensuring that fire detection is highly reliable in large open vehicle deck spaces. Decision making should be based on verified information from multiple sources. A combination of heat & smoke detectors is recommended, but further research to determine best combination and configuration of the sensor package is recommended for each individual ship configuration. Operators should adopt a combination of proven technologies and crew vigilance to ensure early detection of the fire threat.

5 B-1 Use of CCTV cameras to allow visual confirmation of a fire on ro-ro decks from the Bridge/ER. B- During the voyage the company should ensure that all vehicle decks are continuously monitored, with particular attention to connected reefer units and electric vehicles, by means of adequate technical equipment such as CCTV, or by means of ship s crew patrolling the vehicle decks, or a combination of remote supervision and crew inspection. B- Fire detectors may be sensitive to environmental conditions, e.g. soot and salt. Operators should ensure that a maintenance plan for cleaning the smoke detectors is enforced and that smoke detectors are fitted with a self-diagnostic feature. B- Addressable fire detectors are mandatory on new passenger ships after 010. Operators should ensure that all vessels are fitted with addressable fire detectors. C. Fire Suppression/Extinction The primary purpose of the drencher system is to limit the increase in temperature on the cargo deck, thus mitigating propagation of the fire and ultimately also structural damages. Companies report that deluge (drencher) systems are reliable provided that they are properly maintained and correctly deployed in case of a fire. It is also noted that the requirements for water discharge rate from deluge systems increased significantly for new installations as from 1 May 01. All recorded ro-ro deck fires have occurred on ships with deluge systems older than that. Operators note that high pressure piercing tools may increase the efficacy of fighting fires inside truck trailers (in line with the pending requirements for container vessels MSC.6(9)), but consider that such equipment should be used by professional fire fighters. Unrelated to open ro-ro spaces, operators note that there are no SOLAS requirements for fixed firefighting equipment on weather decks. Maintenance Follow recommendations in MSC1./Circular.1 deluge systems 9 Five-year service At least once every five years, the following should be carried out 9. Water mist, water spray and sprinkler systems.1 flush all ro-ro deck deluge system piping with water, drain and purge with air; C-1 For installations on new ships, the deluge system should be manufactured from non-corrosive materials to prevent blockage. C- For existing deluge systems installations, the frequency of flushing the deluge system as prescribed in Circ , should be increased from one to two times in a five-year period.

6 C- The company should ensure a communication control loop in its internal fire suppression guidance and training, so that correct deployment of the deluge system is verified and reported to the Master and the Chief Engineer. C- For all ships with weather decks, operators should fit fire monitors (water cannons) effectively covering the full area of the weather deck. These devices may be either manually or remotely operated. C- The company should ensure that training and drills emphasise the importance of a rapid response team proceeding directly to the scene of a reported smoke/fire with fire extinguishers and not stopping to dress in fire-fighting gear. D. Fire propagation and suppression Operators note that due to potential cross winds over the open ro-ro deck, extinction of a fire on the open ro-ro deck may be more challenging than on a closed ro-ro deck. Based on recent accident investigation reports, Interferry notes that the importance of rapid establishment of containment boundaries on all sides of the fire must be stressed. Operators report satisfaction with the functionality of deluge systems, but also note this is an area for scientific analysis of the overall efficacy depending on the ship configuration. Further research is needed on this matter and Interferry has partnered with other parties as part of a proposed EU Horizons 00 RORO Fire Safety research project in order to gain a better understanding of the effects of cross-winds on open Ro-Ro decks and develop mitigating measures if necessary. To Interferry, this is a key component of mitigation of any potential future potential on-board fires, which calls for proper scientific evaluation. D-1 The company should ensure that training and drills emphasise the importance of adopting a defensive fire-fighting posture after the initial response. Paramount in achieving this is the rapid establishment of containment boundaries on all sides of the fire (technical analysis of deluge system functionality is on-going). D- The company should note any future findings of on-going research on open ro-ro decks and update its practices accordingly. E. Life Saving Appliances Operators note that due to the side openings in the open ro-ro deck, the integrity and accessibility of lifesaving appliances may be compromised due to heat and smoke. There are both SOLAS- and Class requirements established, but further research is needed on this matter. SOLAS II-/ Permanent openings Permanent openings in the side plating, the ends or deckhead of the space shall be so situated that a fire in the cargo space does not endanger stowage areas and embarkation stations for survival craft and accommodation spaces, service spaces and control stations in superstructures and deckhouses above the cargo spaces. 6

7 E-1 The company should review the positioning of its LSA units in relation to any potential conduits of heat, smoke and flames,through permanent openings in the side plating of open ro-ro decks F. Evacuation On short routes, it is common practice to allow for all vehicle passengers to remain on open ro-ro decks and weather decks during the voyage, as catered for by SOLAS II-1/.9. In certain geographic areas, however, there is a practice of so called camping on board, meaning that passengers stay in or around their campers/caravans on the open ro-ro deck during the voyage. Interferry does not support the practice of camping onboard vehicle decks. Passengers on For short crossings, it is highly impractical to vacate the vehicle decks from deck passengers, so safeguards should be put in place to minimize the risk for fire and to maximize response in case of need. Given recent events where unregistered persons have been on-board, Interferry wishes to stress the importance to maintain proper control and documentation for every voyage. F-1 For voyages shorter than 0nm - general access can be offered for passengers to any ro-ro deck, provided said decks are continuously monitored by the ship s crew. F- For voyages longer than 0nm, no passengers should be allowed access to any ro-ro deck when the ship is under way without the expressed consent of the master or the designated officer. Passengers allowed access shall be supervised. Expressed consent could for example be justified for: Escorts for passengers to check on pets Ambulances, prisoner transfer, law enforcement and similar During the final approach to the port of call, general access can be offered for passengers to any ro-ro deck, provided said decks are continuously monitored by the ship s crew. 7