Shipping fires represent some of the costliest claims and remain a significant concern in the maritime sector. As the shipping sector moves towards decarbonisation, there is also a drive to maximise economies of scale, with the cargo carrying capacity of ships continuing to increase, which in turn contributes to the cost of such incidents.
Marine Fire Expert, John Gow, delivered his presentation ‘Through Fire & Water: Firefighting at Sea – What Future?’ at the recent Marine Insurance Asia Conference in Singapore where he discussed some of the challenges seafarers may face as they confront this persistent issue.
John set the scene by sharing some of the deadliest fires in history, both on land and at sea before comparing the different training land and marine based firefighters receive. He highlighted the sheer scale of a cargo ship, explaining that they can often be the length of 3 or 4 football pitches, and the height of Grenfell Tower. He added that there must be a sufficient number of firefighting crew onboard these vessels who have the required training and equipment to deal with an incident should it occur.
He then looked to the future to discuss what can be done to help prevent these incidents, reviewing the regulatory framework, ship design, fire protection techniques, emergency response and the safe carriage of cargo; including the condition, ventilation, extinguishing medium and penetration of cargo containers. One key consideration is the automation of systems that require a physical input, such as closing mechanical ventilation on hatch covers. If the human element can be reliably engineered out, risk to crew could be reduced and the delivery of extinguishing mediums accelerated.
John Gow is a highly experienced fire investigator specialising in marine fires, who has provided expert testimony and advice in many high-profile cases, and in fatal accident inquiries in both criminal and civil Courts. Having previously served as an operational firefighter, he has been engaged as a firefighting expert, an origin and cause expert, and on some occasions, as both. He has undertaken investigations on behalf of underwriters, charterers, cargo interests and salvors involving a variety of vessels including container ships, Ro-Pax, PCTC (Pure Car and Truck Carriers), cruise ships and tankers.
If you would like John to present to your organisation or investigate a marine related incident, please contact us.
