Question 1

The vessel has been brought to anchor in a sheltered bay. The ER fire is confirmed extinguished. The engine is operational on the emergency diesel. The naphtha cargo is still on board and the IG system is restored. The company charterer is demanding the vessel proceed to the discharge port immediately. The chief officer reports the CO₂ system has not been recharged.

Can the vessel sail and resume cargo operations?

Accepted Answer

No. The CO₂ fixed firefighting system for the engine room is a statutory piece of equipment under SOLAS. A vessel without an operational fixed fire suppression system for the machinery space is not in a seaworthy condition and cannot legally sail. The CO₂ system must be recharged or a class-approved equivalent provided before departure The SOLAS II-2 requirement for fixed fire suppression in machinery spaces is not optional and not subject to charterer commercial pressure. A vessel that sails without its CO₂ system operational is unseaworthy under the ISM Code and in breach of SOLAS — exposing the Master, company, and flag state to serious liability. Charterer pressure to sail is not a valid reason to ignore a critical safety deficiency. Class and flag state surveyors must inspect the system before departure. "Continuous manned engine room" does not substitute for the fixed suppression system — it merely provides earlier detection of a fire that you now have no primary means to suppress.

Question 2

MV SOLWAY STAR, 1435. The engine room fixed fire detection alarm activates on the bridge panel — zone indicated is bilge area, below the main engine. The ER is manned — the chief engineer and two ratings are on watch below.

What is the OOW's FIRST action?

Accepted Answer

Sound the general alarm immediately. Inform the Master. Do NOT ring the engine room to ask them to investigate — they are in the fire zone. The general alarm brings the emergency team to their stations and ensures the CO₂ room and fire parties are ready before any further assessment Ringing the engine room is the most common and most dangerous instinct when a fire alarm sounds — it asks people in the fire zone to investigate and reassure you. The correct response is immediate general alarm: it activates the emergency team, gets the CO₂ room manned with the correct personnel, and starts the accountability process. A false alarm muster costs 15 minutes. A delayed alarm in a real bilge fire on a naphtha carrier costs lives. The decision to discharge CO₂ will be made by the Master with full accountability — not by an OOW who has run to the CO₂ room alone.

Question 3

Thirty seconds after the general alarm, the chief engineer radios the bridge: "I can see smoke near the bilge pump. I'm going to check if it's a small oil fire — I'll call you back in two minutes." The fire party is mustering on deck.

What is the Master's response?

Accepted Answer

Order the chief engineer and ALL engine room personnel to evacuate immediately and close the ER fire dampers and watertight doors. Do not allow investigation without full BA team and hose in place. Smoke in an ER bilge area of a naphtha carrier is a serious fire risk — vapour ignition can occur in seconds The bilge area of a chemical tanker carrying naphtha (flash point −40°C) means flammable vapour is present at ambient temperature. A small visible fire can flash over in seconds if the fuel supply (oil in bilge) is not interrupted. Allowing a solo investigation without BA, without a charged hose, and without the fire team in position violates every principle of fire fighting practice. The chief engineer's instinct to deal with it quickly is understandable — and potentially fatal. Close the space, get personnel out, assess from outside.