Fire is the second greatest cause of loss of life and property at sea, with the first being sinking. In 2021, a fire broke out in the auxiliary engine room on the Finland registered roll-on/roll-off cargo ship, the Finnmaster. During its departure from England, an incident occurred due to a mechanical failure on one of the auxiliary engines. Fuel leaked from non-standard, unapproved flexible hose onto a hot surface, causing ignition. This incident was exacerbated by the failure of critical safety systems; a fault prevented the emergency generator circuit breaker from supplying power, and the fixed carbon-dioxide fire extinguishing systems failed to fully operate due to defects in the system. Therefore, the crew’s response, affected by the loss of safety systems, was ineffective.
The magnitude of this incident could have been significantly reduced if the CO2 system defects were identified and resolved earlier.
A ship’s extinguishing system typically comprises of between 200 and 600 cylinders each containing 45KG of liquefied CO2 under high 720 psi/ 49 bar pressure. Due to this high pressure, they are at risk of leaking and accidental discharge. There is a chance of this happening when they are dismantled, weighed and re-installed during their periodic maintenance. Some marine service companies estimate that 20% of a ship’s CO2 cylinders have discharged or partially leaked their contents at some point in their lifetime.
Under IMO SOLAS FSS Code Chapter 5 Clause 2.1.1.3 it is required that “Means shall be provided for the crew to safely check the quantity of the fire extinguishing medium in the containers.” Not all crew members are qualified to dismantle and weigh the cylinders, this makes using an ultrasonic liquid level indicator the perfect tool to give all crew – regardless of station – the confidence and ability to safely and accurately test their CO2 without the need of any dismantling or weighing.
The Portalevel® MAX MARINE PLUS is Coltraco Ultrasonics flagship handheld liquid level indicator with ABS Type Approval for marine applications. It provides results with an accuracy of ±1.5mm of the true liquid level in under 30 seconds. Supplied with an ultra slim extension rod, the Portalevel® MAX MARINE PLUS allows a single operator to test an entire bank of cylinders of varying sizes and agents, with minimal training. This can save as much as 60% of the time required to manually dismantle and weigh a cylinder, making it the ideal, safe testing solution for all crew.
Compliance with international safety standards is non-negotiable, and unfortunate incidents like the Finnmaster fire highlight the importance of functioning and compliant fire suppression systems. Take control of your fire safety inspections today with the Portalevel® MAX MARINE PLUS.
