In its post-accident investigation into the deadly Conception dive boat fire, the NTSB issued 11 recommendations for safety improvements aboard passenger vessels. Now, three years after the fire, NTSB says that not enough has been done to address its safety concerns – and it notes that the law requires the U.S. Coast Guard to act on its recommendations.

In the early hours of Sept. 2, 2019, the Conception caught fire while at anchor off Santa Cruz island. No roving fire watch had been posted, and 34 people who were asleep belowdecks were killed. The vessel burned to the waterline and sank.

Following the investigation, the NTSB issued seven recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard and two to small passenger vessel associations. The NTSB also repeated its decade-old recommendation for the Coast Guard to require all passenger vessels to have a safety management system – the same way that tugs and towboats have to have an SMS under Subchapter M. NTSB has looked into three other passenger-vessel accidents since 2005 in which it believes an SMS would have made a difference.

“Three years ago, I made a promise to the victims’ families that I would vigorously work to ensure the safety recommendations we issued would be implemented,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “While I am encouraged by the progress that has been made, more work needs to be done. NTSB will continue to push until these recommendations are fully implemented.”

Of the three industry groups with members operating small passenger vessels with overnight accommodations, only the Passenger Vessel Association has taken sufficient action to satisfy the NTSB recommendations, the agency said. Two others in the charterboat sector have not yet responded.

At the Coast Guard regulatory level, a new SMS requirement for small passenger vessels – which NTSB has recommended since 2005 – is now in motion. New Coast Guard regulations are being developed for six other NTSB recommendations as well, but none have yet reached the implementation stage, according to NTSB’s tracking.

The NTSB noted that Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2020 requires that the Coast Guard carry out all of the NTSB recommendations issued or reiterated in connection with the Conception investigation.

“We appreciate Congress addressing these safety issues in legislation, and for the cooperation and partnership of the Coast Guard,” said Chair Homendy. “But this shouldn’t have taken an act of Congress to improve safety. Passenger vessel owners and operators should act now to ensure no one else loses a loved one in another tragedy on our waterways.”

With or without regulatory requirements, NTSB recommends that overnight passenger vessel operators:

• Install smoke detectors in all accommodation spaces and ensure they are interconnected.
• Ensure that the two emergency escape paths out of a berthing area do not lead to the same space, which can be blocked by a single hazard.
• Adhere to the terms of their vessel’s COI, including a requirement for a roving watchstander.
• Keep escape routes unobstructed.
• Implement a safety management system.

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/ntsb-more-action-needed-on-lessons-learned-from-conception-fire

Thome Group has won the 2022 Outstanding Contribution to Safety @ Sea Award organised by the Singapore Maritime Ports Authority. The award was presented by Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on the 31st of August in the Peony Grand Ballroom at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore.

Thome was recognised for a series of safety programmes and initiatives that it has developed to ensure that the company is disciplined and focused in keeping its commitment to safety.

These included the creation of a safety department which focuses on monitoring the implementation of health, safety and quality policies, ensuring the company follows a risk-based approach which includes conducting risk analyses and implementing regular safety campaigns focussing on specific themes.

One of these campaigns is called “Partners in Safety” which is designed to set up stronger links between Thome’s seafarers and their onshore colleagues with regards to safety related matters. The aim is to encourage the two sides to work more closely together with information sharing and support in a blame free culture.

Thome has also initiated a safety coach programme where specialist safety coaches sail with Thome’s fully managed vessels to promote and spread their knowledge on safety requirements, systems, and procedures among the ship’s staff.

Accepting the award on behalf of Thome, Capt. Mayuresh Jayade, Marine and Safety Manager of Thome Group, said, “Thome Group places great importance on safety matters and has developed several initiatives and projects to ensure that the company is disciplined and focused in keeping its commitment to safety. We are very honoured that the MPA has recognised that with this prestigious award.”

Olav Nortun, CEO of Thome Group added, “I am pleased to say that by implementing these various safety initiatives we have seen a reduction in injuries and incidents from our fleet, so this award rewards the hard work of our staff both onshore and at sea.”
Source: Thome Group

Given the difficulties involved in extinguishing battery fires at sea, companies’ primary focus should be on loss prevention, says marine insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty in its latest risk bulletin. Measures include adequate training for the crew, appropriate firefighting equipment, better early detection systems and hazard control and emergency plans.

As a key component of electric vehicles (EVs) or electronic devices, the transport of highly inflammable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries is increasingly impacting shipping safety as demonstrated by a number of fires on vessels such as roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) car carriers and container ships. Given the many difficulties involved in suppressing battery fires, particularly at sea, focusing on loss prevention measures is crucial, whether batteries are transported within EVs or as standalone cargo, says Allianz.

‘Shipping losses may have more than halved over the past decade, but fires on board vessels remain among the biggest safety issues for the industry,’ explains Captain Rahul Khanna, Global Head of Marine Risk Consulting at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS). ‘The potential dangers that the transportation of Li-ion batteries pose if they are not stored or handled correctly only add to these concerns, and we have already seen a number of incidents. Companies should do all that they possibly can to implement, develop and follow robust loss prevention measures, given the growing popularity of EVs means many more vehicles with lithium-ion batteries will be transported by sea in future.’

Four main battery hazards

The risk bulletin “Lithium-ion batteries: Fire risks and loss prevention measures in shipping” highlights four main hazards:

• fire (Li-ion batteries contain electrolyte, an ignitable liquid);
• explosion (resulting from the release of ignitable vapor/gases in a confined space);
• thermal runaway (a rapid self-heating fire that can cause an explosion); and
• the toxic gases that these hazards can produce.

The most common causes of these hazards are substandard manufacturing of battery cells/devices, over-charging of the battery cells, over-temperature by short circuiting, and damaged battery cells or devices, which, among other causes, can result from poor packing and handling or cargo shift in rough seas if not adequately secured.

Moreover, ‘they can also aggravate other causes of fire at sea and are difficult to extinguish as they have the potential to reignite days or even weeks later,’ says Khanna. ‘In most shipboard incidents a thermal runaway event can be a significant possibility unless immediate action is taken by the crew, such as suppressing a fire with copious amounts of water over a long period of time. However, this can be extremely challenging due to factors such as early detection being difficult, a shortage of crew members on board, and if the vessel’s firefighting capabilities are inadequate.’

Loss prevention measures on car carriers

The primary focus must therefore be on loss prevention and in the report, AGCS experts highlight a number of recommendations for companies to consider, focusing on two areas in particular: storage and in transit.

Among others, recommendations to mitigate the fire risk that can potentially result from Li-ion batteries during the transportation of EVs on car carriers and within freight containers include:

• ensuring staff are trained to follow correct packing and handling procedures and that seafarers have had Li-ion battery firefighting training;
• checking the battery’s state of charge (SOC) is at the optimal level for transportation where possible;
• ensuring that EVs with low ground clearance are labelled as this can present loading/discharging challenges; and
• checking all EVs are properly secured to prevent any shifting during transportation.

In transit, anything that can aid early detection is critical, including watchkeeping/fire rounds and utilising thermal scanners, gas detectors, heat/smoke detectors, and CCTV cameras.

Loss prevention measures for stored batteries

The report also highlights a number of measures that can help ensure safe storage of Li-ion batteries in warehouses, noting that large-format batteries, such as those used in EVs, ignite more quickly in a warehouse fire than smaller batteries used in smartphones and laptops.

Among others, recommendations include

• training staff in appropriate packing and handling procedures;
• establishing an emergency response plan to tackle damaged/overheating batteries and a hazard control plan to manage receiving, storage, dispatch and supervision of packaged Li-ion batteries;
• preventing the exposure of batteries to high temperatures and ensuring separation from other combustible materials; and
• prompt removal of damaged or defective Li-ion batteries.

Captain Randall Lund, Senior Marine Risk Consultant at AGCS: ‘Regulations and guidance are specific in addressing these batteries to help prevent most incidents, but these can only be effective if they are communicated and enforced. Only through a concerted effort by stakeholders in the supply chain can we hope to reduce the rate of incidents.’

Fire/explosion is the third top cause of shipping losses

Recent incidents in which a battery fire was cited as a possible cause or contributing factor include the March 2022 fire and subsequent sinking of ro-ro carrier Felicity Ace. In the same month, the US Coast Guard issued a safety alert about the risk posed by Li-ion batteries following two separate container fires.

In June 2020 a fire on the car carrier Höegh Xiamen in Florida was attributed to a failure to properly disconnect and secure vehicle batteries. In January 2020, a fire on the container ship Cosco Pacific was attributed to the combustion of a Li-ion battery cargo, which was not properly declared.

AGCS analysis of over 240,000 marine insurance industry claims over the past five years (with a value of EUR 9.2 billion), shows that fire/explosion (from all causes) is the most expensive cause of loss, accounting for eighteen per cent of the value of all claims.

The number of fires (from all causes) on board large vessels has increased significantly in recent years. Across all vessel types, fire/explosion was the second top cause of the 54 total losses reported in 2021 (8), second only to foundered (12). Over the past decade fire/explosion ranks as the third top cause of loss overall, accounting for 120 out of 892 reported total losses, behind foundered (465) and wrecked/stranded (164).

Ro-ro and car carriers more at risk

Ro-ro and car carriers can be more exposed to fire and stability issues than other vessels. To facilitate carriage of automobiles, the internal spaces are not divided into separate sections like other cargo ships. The lack of internal bulkheads can have an adverse impact on fire safety and a small fire on one vehicle or battery can grow out of control very quickly. Vehicles are not easily accessible once loading has been completed. The large volume of air inside the open cargo decks provides a ready supply of oxygen in case of fire.

Source: https://swzmaritime.nl/news/2022/09/02/prevention-measures-crucial-to-tackling-risk-of-battery-fires-in-shipping/