SHIP FIRE HIGHLIGHTS HAZARDOUS CARGO RISK
AT ABOUT 3.30pm GMT on Tuesday, March 6, the new, ultra-large container ship Maersk Honam caught fire in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman with 27 people on board, including a South African.
With help, 23 crew were safely evacuated from the vessel, two of whom were seriously injured, with one later dying of his injuries.
The others, including the South African, remained missing, in spite of search-and-rescue efforts.
Given the time that has lapsed, there seems to be no realistic hope of finding the missing crew alive.
The massive vessel (353m with a carrying capacity of 15 000 containers) remained adrift and ablaze. Reputable salvage operators Smit and Ardent were appointed to extinguish the fire.
The Maersk Honam, built last year, was by no means old or decrepit, and this incident highlights ongoing concerns in the industry over the severity of fires on container ships.
One may wonder how such tragic accidents continue to occur in this day and age, given the exponential leaps made in technology and innovation, not to mention the near-wholesale adoption of vessel safety regulations by the shipping industry and international community.
February last year saw another serious incident. The APL Austria caught ablaze off the South African coast following an explosion in a cargo hold. The vessel was fortunately able to enter Port Elizabeth approaches in refuge, and it took two days to put out the fire.
A fire raged on board the Hansa Brandenburg off Mauritius in 2013 while it was en route to Durban. This vessel was also adrift and burning for several days.
In another notorious incident, the MSC Flaminia caught fire in July 2012 and the crew were forced to abandon ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Tragically, the incident claimed three lives.
Many of these fires arise from the kind of cargo carried on board and not from deficiencies in the ship’s design or operation and its firefighting system.
Although official reports record the cause of the fire as “unknown at this stage”, it seems this may also be the case in the Maersk Honam incident, given that the fire is recorded as having started in one of the cargo holds.
Such incidents raise serious concerns about misdeclared cargo, particularly cargo that is highly flammable or explosive. A notorious example is the chemical compound calcium hyperchlorite, which has been the cause of many container ship fires.
While international regulations place restrictions on the carriage of dangerous goods on ships (for good reason), such restrictions, as well as the high cost of shipping and insuring dangerous cargo, have led to unscrupulous shippers mis-declaring the cargo in their containers when they’re handed over to a shipping line.
This is incredibly dangerous because the stowage plan for the ship will be prepared based on what is said to be in each container. Mis-declaration can result in dangerous, flammable cargo being stowed in hazardous areas such as below decks or close to the engine room.
A cargo such as calcium hyperchlorite tends to heat up, so if it is stowed in a confined space, the heat cannot escape, and eventually this can lead to a fire or explosion. Although most shipping lines now refuse to carry it, if it is properly declared it can be stowed in a place where any heat build-up can easily dissipate.
Unfortunately, given the large volume of shipping containers dealt with by shipping lines daily, it is not feasible to verify the contents of every container to ensure it matches the cargo description provided by the shipper. Sadly, mis-declaration of containerised cargo seems to be accepted as an unavoidable risk in the industry.
The Maersk Honam is flagged in Singapore, and although the fire occurred off Oman, the Singaporean authorities will be responsible for probing the incident.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority is obviously an interested party when it comes to the investigation and has reported that the Singaporean Transport Ministry has started a probe into the incident. The authority has also confirmed it is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with the relevant authorities for updates regarding the missing South African seafarer.
Nel is a senior associate at Bowmans Durban.