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Recent attendees at the 84th International Association for Safety and Survival Training (IASST) Meeting were prominent members from Bluewater’s training schools in Antibes and Palma. At the IASST, where industry leaders convene, the topic of maritime safety was front and center. Since its founding in 1981, the IASST has had a close working relationship with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Both bodies are united in their mission: to make the maritime industry a safer and more secure place.
A top-notch presentation at the event came from Capt. Joris van Vuuren and Ron Damstra of the Dutch Safety Board’s Maritime Department.
The session, entitled "Lessons Learned from Ship Evacuations Following Onboard Fires at Sea," offered some invaluable past insights that could enhance safety at sea. The focus was on past incidents and the crucial lessons learned from them.
The Dutch Safety Board (DSB) is an independent safety authority that works under the auspices of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the European Union (EU). The DSB investigates maritime incidents, incidents that happen on or above the water, so that it can recommend improvements to make things safer in the Netherlands. Unlike most safety authorities that work in the same domain, the DSB operates under the Kingdom Act of the Netherlands. This ensures a neutral approach and protects the safety board’s investigators, along with the investigators’ and sides’ shielded confidences, from intrusions by the affairs, police, and customs agents that investigators often have to work with. The size of the Netherlands means that even the DSB has a smaller revenue base for investigations than most safety boards in the world. On top of that, the DSB’s work extends across the aviation, rail, and maritime sectors. That means the DSB has a much bigger space across the landscape to investigate maritime incidents than most maritime safety boards have.
These investigations are vital because onboard fires can lead to very serious outcomes, such as loss of life, environmental pollution, and, potentially, the total loss of a vessel. The presentation examined the following three major incidents:
1. Escape - Fire on Dutch Container Ship, February 22, 2023 (Gulf of Riga, Latvia)
A container ship from the Netherlands caught fire in the Gulf of Riga. The ship’s crew fought to control the fire, but then they lost power - an electrical failure that cut lighting and disabled the fire pump. Without a power supply, there was no way to effectively fight the fire that was burning on an increasingly out-of-control container ship. The captain decided to abandon ship but did so with confidence, knowing that the crew of the Dutch ship was safe and that they were secure from heading to the nearby cargo ship that essentially followed the somewhat normalised path of the Gulf of Riga.
2. Felicity Ace, February 16, 2022
The Felicity Ace was a Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) cargo ship lined with luxury vehicles from Germany and headed to the U.S.
On February 16, 2022, the ship caught fire while roughly 200 miles off the Azores, and all 22 crewmembers abandoned ship in a rescue coordinated by the Portuguese Navy. Neither the ship nor the sea took the fire so well. Everything on board smouldered for days, and RoRo cargo ship fire protocols were tested to the limit. A huge RF antenna and steel cables from the stern to the bow helped the fire’s whereabouts be known, while also giving rescue and salvage teams access to where the fire could be fought.
3. Fremantle Highway, July 25, 2023
The Fremantle Highway, a car carrier transporting a mix of internal combustion and electric vehicles from Germany to Egypt, caught fire off the coast of the Netherlands. The high-expansion foam system was activated and initially worked, but the fire spread rapidly from car to car within seven minutes. Electric vehicle fires pose unique challenges, as they can take days or even weeks to fully extinguish. When the foam supply ran out, the fire remained uncontrolled, forcing the crew to abandon ship. One key takeaway from this incident is that conventional firefighting methods are inadequate for electric vehicle fires, highlighting the urgent need for updated training and response strategies.
While these incidents occurred on commercial vessels, the lessons learned are highly relevant to the yachting industry. Even on board yachts, the risk of onboard fires, particularly those involving lithium batteries, is increasing. Bluewater has observed a rise in lithium battery-related fires, which require specialised firefighting approaches and awareness. Crew members must be equipped to recognise and respond to these risks effectively, ensuring passenger and vessel safety.
At Bluewater, we are committed to offering safety training that meets the most exacting standards imaginable. Our worldwide safety training presence is gaining visibility and respect. Our efforts in safety training have become too visible to ignore and, in fact, have gained a respect that is increasing every day.
At our safety training sessions, we aim not just to pass along boring, unnecessary instructions and rules but to genuinely transform the way participants think about safety. As far we at Bluewater are concerned, safety at sea is not just a job - it is a calling.
