ABSTRACT
Fire on board a vessel at sea is a most frightening situation and Mariners, the world over, continually train to combat fire. Different types of fire require differing treatments; such as, water as a medium is good for carbon fires, but dangerous for oil or electrical fires. Shore-side statutory training courses go some way to develop seafarers in the methods and approaches to firefighting various fire types, but we still see mistakes being made. On the basis that avoidance of fire is better than the cure, tanker vessels are now constructed incorporating stringent fire prevention aspects or the capability to contain any fire outbreak. The ship design is usually structured into hazardous and non-hazardous areas. The nature of shipping is involved with a variety of cargoes from bulk crude oil to containers carrying everything from the kitchen sink onwards. Hazardous goods are listed under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods code (IMDG), used throughout the marine industry.
