Liberia: hazards in spaces not protected by a fire alarm

Liberia Maritime Authority on 8 December 2023 published a marine advisory note drawing the attention of shipowners, operators, inspectors, masters, and crew to the hazards associated with vessels with wheelhouses, sleeping rooms and other spaces not protected by a fire detection and alarm system.

Background

The Administration is finalizing its investigation into two recent fires on board vessels whose wheelhouse and sleeping rooms were not protected by a fire detection and alarm system, which is currently not required under existing regulation SOLAS II-2/7.5.5.

In the first case, the most likely cause of the fire was the thermal runaway of a lithium-ion battery pack for a hand-held radio being charged on a desktop in the wheelhouse.

In the second case, the most likely cause of the fire was the unapproved use of a single bulkhead electrical socket for powering multiple appliances using an extension cable with multiple sockets.

Recommendation

The Administration recommends that Owners, Operators, Masters, and Crew of vessels whose wheelhouses, sleeping rooms, and other spaces are not protected with a fire detection and fire alarm system take measures to ensure that highly flammable material not be stored in these spaces; charging of lithium-ion batteries in these spaces is not be done unattended or unsupervised; and single bulkhead sockets are not used to power multiple appliances without proper approval.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):