.....πολλές από τις παμπάλαιες αιτίες ατυχημάτων εξακολουθούν να υφίστανται, παρ΄όλα τα μοντέρνα συστήματα, παρ΄όλη την προσοχή και εκμάθηση στον τομέα της αποφυγής, γιατί δεν είναι αρκετά ώστε ν΄αποφεύγονται παρόμοιες καταστάσεις?
Θυμάμαι όταν στο Ευθυκώστα φορτωμένο με φορτηγα και διάφορα οχήματα από Πειραιά για Ρόδο, έπιασε φωτιά σε ένα όχημα από βραχυκύκλωμα στις μπαταρίες. Αυτό έγινε το 1970 αν θυμάμαι καλά. 51 χρόνια μετά και συμβαίνουν τα ίδια....
Εάν μιλάμε για μεταφορά μικρών επιβατηκών οχημάτων, είναι όντως δύσκολη η αποσύνδεση των μπαταριών σε 2-3-4-5000 οχήματα. Τα αυτοκίνητα που φορτώνονται με ίδιες δυνάμεις, ξεκινούν τον κινητήρα με φορητή μπαταρία, οπότε δεν υφίσταται σύνδεση με ηλεκτρική παροχή. Πόσοι το κάνουν , άγνωστο...
Photo:
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
Mike Schuler December 16, 2021
Recommendations
stemming from its investigation into the June 2020 car carrier fire in
Jacksonville, Florida.
The NTSB has
come out with its investigation report into last year’s fire aboard the Höegh
Xiamen, revealing an improperly disconnected battery in a used vehicle led to
the fire.
The vehicle/car
carrier caught fire on June 4, 2020, while in Jacksonville, Florida, resulting
in the total loss of the vessel and its cargo of 2,420 used vehicles. The fire
burned for over a week and injured nine firefighters. None of the ship’s 21
crewmembers were injured. Total damages are estimated at $40 million.
In August 2020,
after salvage operations were completed, the vessel was towed to Turkey to be recycled.
The NTSB has now
issued eight safety recommendations to federal regulators and the companies
involved in the accident.
The NTSB’s
investigation was detailed in Marine
Accident Report 21/04, published Thursday. According to the report, Höegh
Xiamen’s crew noticed smoke coming from the ventilation housing while preparing
to depart port for Baltimore, Maryland. Crew members discovered a fire on deck
8, which had been loaded with used vehicles. The fire eventually spread to
other decks and continued to burn for eight days.
The NTSB
concluded that many of the vehicles loaded onto the vessel had batteries that
were not disconnected and secured in accordance with procedures, which
increased the risk of electrical arcing and component faults. During loading
operations, both the loading personnel and crew missed opportunities to address
these hazards, the NTSB said.
The
investigation also showed that the detection of the fire was delayed because
the vessels’ fire detection systems had not yet been reactivated after loading
was completed. Additionally, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department’s
response to the accident was delayed because the Höegh Xiamen’s master did not
immediately have available contact information for search and rescue
authorities and did not know how to report a fire to local authorities.
The NTSB
determined the probable cause of the fire to be Grimaldi Deep Sea’s (who time
chartered the vessel) and SSA Atlantic’s (Grimaldi’s contractor for stevedores)
ineffective oversight of longshoremen, which did not identify that Grimaldi’s
vehicle battery securement procedures were not being followed. “This resulted
in an electrical fault from an improperly disconnected battery in a used
vehicle on cargo deck 8. Contributing to the delay in the detection of the fire
was the crew not immediately reactivating the vessel’s fire detection system
after the completion of loading. Contributing to the extent of the fire was the
master’s decision to delay the release of the carbon dioxide fixed
fire?extinguishing system,” the NTSB’s report said.
Safety issues
identified in the report include:
- training
for and oversight of vehicle battery securement,
- regulatory
exceptions for used and damaged flammable?liquid-powered vehicles,
- fire
detection system deactivation during cargo loading, and
- effective emergency distress calls.
NTSB issued one
recommendation each to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,
U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Maritime Safety Association; two
recommendations to Grimaldi Deep Sea; and three recommendations to Höegh
Technical Management. NTSB’s recommendations to the companies involved
improving oversight of vehicle loading as well as training of personnel
involved in battery securement for used and damaged vehicles. NTSB’s
recommendations to federal agencies involved improving regulations for vehicle
carriers that transport used vehicles. NTSB’s recommendations to the vessel’s
operator involved revising their procedures for the reactivation of fire
detection systems and ensuring emergency contact information is immediately
available for bridge teams.
“The
transportation of used vehicles, such as those that were loaded on vessels like
the Höegh Xiamen, is currently excepted from Hazardous Materials Regulations
when a vessel has a stowage area specifically designed and approved for
carrying vehicles,” NTSB said in the report. “We found that used vehicles are
often damaged and present an elevated risk of fire. We believe that greater
inspection, oversight, and enforcement are needed to reduce this risk.”
According to the
NTSB, there have been five similar accidents since 2015, including a 2019 fire
aboard Grimaldi’s Grande Europa. Following Grimaldi’s experience with previous
roll-on/roll-off vessel fires, the company developed a battery disconnect
procedure to reduce the risk of vehicle fires during transportation. This
procedure was used on Höegh Xiamen; however, the Coast Guard’s postaccident
examination of a sample of 59 vehicles did not find a single battery that was
secured in accordance with Grimaldi’s battery disconnect procedure.
“The
circumstances of this accident make clear that it is critical to ensure that
the batteries of used vehicles are disconnected and properly secured during
cargo loading operations,” the report said. “The NTSB believes it is imperative
that operators of similar roll-on/roll-off vessels engaged in the
transportation of used vehicles act to ensure that any personnel involved in
loading operations—including vessel crews, stevedores, and longshoremen—be
aware of the importance of disconnecting batteries on used vehicles.”
The public
docket for the investigation contains more than 750 pages of factual
information, including interview transcripts, photographs and other
investigative materials.
The NTSB’s full report can be found online: Marine Accident Report 21/04
gcaptain.com
