Purifier Room Fire Investigation: Our Observations

Our team has recently had an opportunity to investigate a fire incident on board on behalf of Hull and Machinery underwriters.

A small fire which broke out in purifier room, quickly spread over and engulfed the entire purifier room. The severity of the fire can be guessed from following damages:

• Complete purifier room gutted / severely heat and smoke affected, to include all machinery, cabling, starting / monitoring panels, insulation etc,
• 1st deck plating, just above purifier room, got distorted / deformed,
• Valves / piping and wiring of bunker service tanks gutted from overheating,
• Several engine room smoke detectors found wasted / melted,
• All engine room spaces and machinery (to include Main and Auxiliary Engines) fouled by the application of the CO2 extinguishing system and smoke.

The vessel was left in-operational due this fire for more than 50 days with partial cargo on board as the incident took place in discharge port.

Now the role of an attending surveyor on behalf of H&M underwriters is crucial to carry out following in such a case:

1. ?A proper and detailed investigation of the root cause of fire and what type of corrective actions and preventive measures were taken,
2. ?Review of the cost of repairs and loss of hire which are big holes in the pocket of both underwrites as well as the operators as the vessel is rendered on down time.
3. ?The cost of repairs is not the only money spent on repairs but port charges, agency charges, vessel’s running opex cost etc are all factors which will keep adding to the final bill till the vessel is up and open running again. So, all the emphasis are put in getting the vessel back on its feet as soon as possible. Every extra day in port will incur extra loses.

It is yet another reminder to those who think implementing safety is an expensive affair, let them see the cost of such incidents and the spanner it throws in the works. The total cost ran in excess of USD 2.0 million.

Based on above incident, we recommend taking following precautions to avoid purifier room fires:

• Any leaking flanges / pipes, however minor it may be, should be repaired promptly. One major reason of such fires is spilling of oil on hot surfaces.
• ?Sheathing of pipes to be maintained in good condition.
• ?Drip trays should be kept clean and any accumulation of oil is to be avoided.
• ?Fire detection and alarm system should be religiously tested on weekly or shorter periods and maintained in fully operational condition due to criticality of the area it is covering.
• ?Firefighting system should always be maintained in ready to use condition.
• Quick closing valves and remote stopping of pumps and purifier should be provided in an accessible location in case of a fire in purifier room.

Our team of local experts helped in this particular case by assisting our client in identifying good and economical options for workshops, sourcing spares, verify their quotes and other provide logistical support. Ultimate objective is to save the cost, be it for underwriters or vessel operators.

?In case, you need any help in UAE for such matters, we are just a call away. Please note our contact details as follows:

[email protected] / Phone: +971 52 6754091 / www.seaspeedmarine.com