A safety alert where a fire cabinet opened during adverse weather, causing the fire hose to fall overboard.
What happened
While transiting to port during a period of adverse weather a fire cabinet located on the starboard side of the vessels main deck opened, resulting in the fire hose being washed overboard. The fire hose subsequently became entangled in the vessel’s starboard azimuth propeller.
The fire cabinet door was fitted with industry-standard latches. The latches were not found to be broken or damaged. Following a remote inspection of the propeller, the vessel crew were able to release the fire hose by repeatedly adjusting the position of the starboard azimuth unit from forward to aft.
Why did it happen
- The rough weather caused the fire cabinet door to open.
- It is possible that the fire cabinet door was not fully secured before the vessel encountered rough weather; however, this has not been confirmed.
- There was no secondary securing mechanism fitted to the fire cabinet door latches.
- There was no internal securing arrangement inside the fire cabinet to prevent the fire hose from being washed out if the cabinet door opened.
- A vessel walk-around to verify sea securing was not completed before the vessel encountered rough weather.
Recommendations
- Investigate a suitable strap that can be installed inside the fire cabinet which can act as a securing mechanism for the fire hose to keep the hose inside the box should the hatch open. The securing mechanism must not impede the crew’s ability to access the fire hose in an emergency.
- Install a secondary securing pin on the fire cabinet door to prevent the main latch from opening accidentally.
- Assess which forecasted weather and sea conditions should trigger completion of the adverse weather checklist.