It's time to act on container fires

There's no safe way to fight on-board infernos, so ways must be found to prevent them from happening, including imposition of penalties

Published Tue, Aug 13, 2019 · 09:50 PM

FIRE has always been regarded as one of seafarers' deadliest enemies. It is why so much effort goes into coming up with measures to prevent and, if necessary, extinguish fires. Firefighting is an essential part of seafarers' training.

In its recent Safety & Shipping Review 2019, major marine insurer Allianz Global commented that fires continue to run up large losses on board ships, and that the number of reported incidents has been rising.

"This has continued through 2019 with a number of recent problems on container ships and three significant events on car carriers. Mis-declared cargo, including incorrect labelling/packaging of dangerous goods is believed to be behind a number of fires at sea."

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