Fire Onboard Container Vessel

INCIDENT

A container vessel suffered a loss when a fire started in the surrounding area of the auxiliary boiler on the first platform deck. The fire caused significant damage to several areas of the ship, including the overhead power distribution and mechanical systems, Engine Control Room, Medium Voltage Switchboard Room, Bridge, decks, and the Funnel area. The incident resulted in extensive contamination of the ship's components and equipment.

CHALLENGES & LOGISTICS

Two days following the fire event, when the vessel was still at sea, AREPA was called in to assess the extent of the contamination. The vessel's technical manager's main area of concern was the Engine Control Room and medium voltage switchboard room. AREPA's PM conducted a thorough visual inspection and conductivity analyses at the site to determine the degree of contamination.

With the help of these tests and, of course, combined with a visual inspection and our many years of experience in this field, AREPA can evaluate whether there's a low or high risk of corrosion and what measures must be taken. Based on their findings, AREPA provided detailed recommendations on how to contain the contamination and address the damage.

OUTCOME

In a maritime environment, the acceptable level for conductivity is between 50 µS and a maximum of 70 µS. Higher levels require different actions, like decontamination. Thanks to the AREPA expert's meticulous efforts, over 150 pieces of damaged equipment across the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Platform Decks were decontaminated in just 11 weeks.

This project marked the successful completion of the second post-fire decontamination project completed for the company by AREPA Denmark within two years. For 30+ years, AREPA has been a trusted partner for this maritime company, following countless losses.

Recommendations for other pieces of equipment around the vessel were also given outside of AREPA's scope of work. After the technical decontamination, AREPA was requested to provide consultancy assistance for the remaining restoration efforts. The aim was to restore trust in the equipment and assist other foreign vendors onboard the vessel in finding solutions for miscellaneous technical issues.