Fire News

The LPG-laden tanker MV Falcon was on fire and adrift on Saturday off the coast of Yemen, after it reported an explosion that forced members of its crew to abandon the vessel, the European Union's naval force Aspides said in a statement.The cause of the explosion was unclear but most likely an accident, according to initial indications, Aspides said. It added that at least 15% of the Cameroon-flagged vessel was on fire.Due to the risk of further explosions, since the tanker was fully loaded with liquefied petroleum gas…

At least 10 people were killed and 18 injured after an oil tanker caught fire early on Wednesday as it was being repaired in Indonesia's Riau Islands province, according to local police.Fire broke out on the vessel, the MT Federal II, at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday (2100 GMT Tuesday) at a shipyard in the city of Batam, local police chief Zaenal Arifin said. Batam is around 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) away from Singapore by sea.MT Federal II was docked and undergoing repairs when it caught fire…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report on the fire and subsequent loss of power on board the Finland registered roll-on/roll-off cargo ship Finnmaster at Hull, England.At 2013 on 19 September 2021, a fire broke out in the auxiliary engine room on the Finland registered roll-on/roll-off cargo ship Finnmaster during departure from Hull, England. Finnmaster lost power, but the fire was later extinguished and the vessel safely re-berthed with the assistance of tugs.

Committed to minimizing such risks and creating a safe and seamless shipping experience for its customers, Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) has joined the World Shipping Council’s (WSC) recently launched Cargo Safety Program.The occurrence of ship fires continues on an upward trend, calling for collective action across the maritime shipping industry, to safeguard crews, cargo, vessels, and the marine ecosystem.Combining AI-powered screening technology and standardized inspection methodologies…

A fire broke out on U.S. naval ship New Orleans off southern Japan's Okinawa prefecture on Wednesday but there are no reports of any injuries, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) said on Wednesday.An official from Japan's Defense Ministry said the country's Self-Defence Forces were engaging in firefighting efforts, but that no further details were available.The JCG said one of its ships near the U.S. vessel was also preparing to join the effort to bring the blaze under control, adding that no oil leaks had been observed in nearby waters.(Reuters)

The US Coast Guard and local partners are responding to an explosion aboard the 751-foot Liberia-flagged bulk carrier W-Sapphire in Baltimore Harbor.Responders from Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region were dispatched to the area to assist. No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation.The vessel remains afloat and is being assisted by tug boats.The Coast Guard has established a 2,000-yard safety zone around the incident location…

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has found the owner, operator, and local agent of the container ship X-Press Pearl liable for environmental and economic damage caused by the 2021 fire and sinking of the vessel.The ship's registered owner, EOS Ro Pte. Limited, along with others, has been fined $1 billion under the polluter pays principle.The Singapore-flagged vessel had 1,486 containers on board at the time, 81 of which were identified as containing hazardous. It arrived in Sri Lankan territorial waters of Sri Lanka with a container already leaking nitric acid and caught fire on May 20, 2021.

Danish shipping company Maersk said on Monday that a fire that broke out onboard the vessel Marie Maersk off Liberia on Wednesday last week had stopped spreading, and that firefighting efforts would be intensified further."Over the weekend, the crew's ongoing firefighting has stopped the fire onboard from spreading further," Maersk said in an emailed statement."We expect firefighting efforts to intensify further once the external firefighters can board Marie Maersk and bring further relief to the Marie Maersk crew…

The National Transportation Safety Board highlighted effective placement of smoke and fire detectors following its investigation of a fire aboard a fishing vessel last year near Tatoosh Island, Washington.“Installation of smoke and fire detectors in spaces that are typically uncrewed when underway, such as the engine room, allows for the earliest detection and notification of a fire, maximizing the time for operators to respond to the fire or take actions to abandon the vessel…

The car carrier Morning Midas sank on June 23 following the fire that broke out on board on June 3.The fire was no longer active, but the vessel sank while awaiting the arrival of a tug with long-distance towing capability.“Damage caused by the fire, compounded by heavy weather and subsequent water ingress, caused the Morning Midas to sink at around 16.35 local time zone (UTC -9) on 23 June, in waters approximately 5,000 meters deep and 360 nautical miles from land,” said ship manager Zodiac Maritime.The vessel reportedly had 350 metric tons of marine gas oil and 1…

The fire fighting operation is ongoing onboard the Singapore-registered container vessel Wan Hai 503, off the coast of India, as search and rescue operation for the four missing crew continues.A fire broke out on Wan Hai Lines (Singapore) Pte Ltd.-managed container ship Wan Hai 503 on June 9 off India’s Kerala coast, following multiple explosions that forced several crew members to jump overboard.According to the latest update from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)…

A fire onboard the Singapore-registered container ship Wan Hai 503 has erupted earlier on Monday off India’s Kerala coast, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported, injuring several crew members and leaving four unaccounted for as Indian Coast Guard and Navy launch search and rescue operations.The incident occurred on June 9, 2025 at about 12.30 hrs Singapore time, at the vessel managed by Wan Hai Lines (Singapore) Pte Ltd.There were 22 crew members onboard.

The crew of a ship carrying around 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned it off the coast of Alaska after a fire broke out onboard, its operator Zodiac Maritime said on Wednesday.The 22 crew members were safely evacuated from the ship after they failed to put out the fire, Zodiac said as it focuses on salvaging the vessel.They were evacuated via lifeboat and were being transferred to a nearby merchant vessel Cosco Hellas in tandem with the U.S. Coast Guard.The vessel…

One person has been reported missing following the fire incident that occurred on May 20 at Chevron’s Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) deepwater platform off Angola, that left 17 people injured.The report about the missing person was shared by Angola’s National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG).Government entities and Chevron’s Angolan subsidiary Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (CABGOC) are continuing to work closely together to mobilize resources to conduct search and rescue operations.“The safety and well-being of the workforce remains a priority.

A catastrophic engine failure led to a fire aboard a towing vessel on the Tennessee River last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports.An engine-room fire broke out on January 30, 2024, aboard the towing vessel Johnny M, which was pushing four barges on the Tennessee River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky. The six crewmembers aboard were unable to extinguish the fire using the CO2 fixed-fire-extinguishing system and abandoned ship to a Good Samaritan vessel.Local fire departments extinguished the fire. No injuries or pollution were reported.

Debris in an engine’s lube oil system led to a diesel engine failure and an engine room fire aboard a passenger vessel docked in Portland, Maine, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed.The passenger vessel Ocean Navigator was moored at the Ocean Gateway Terminal on Oct. 18, 2023, when the no. 2 auxiliary diesel generator engine suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure that seriously injured one crewmember and resulted in an engine-room fire. Crewmembers secured ventilation to the engine room, and the fire self-extinguished.

ClassNK has released guidance to assist in the safe evacuation of crew members from vehicle carriers in the event of a cargo hold fire. Additionally, the world’s first notation, AMEVC(EV), has been established to indicate vessels equipped with additional measures to facilitate safe evacuation.Vehicle carriers often have accommodation areas and life-saving equipment, such as lifeboats and liferafts, positioned above cargo holds, with ventilation ducts for the holds located close to the accommodation spaces.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that land-based firefighters be better prepared for marine vessel firefighting following a fatal fire on the roll-on/roll-off container vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio in Newark, New Jersey.The Grande Costa D’Avorio was docked at Port Newark on July 5, 2023, when a vehicle used by shoreside workers to push used vehicles onto the vessel caught fire on an interior garage deck. The ship’s captain ordered use of the vessel’s carbon dioxide extinguishing system…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the engine room fire on board ro-ro passenger ferry Stena Europe as it approached Fishguard, Wales.At 2115 on 11 February 2023, a fire broke out in the engine room of the vessel while on passage from Rosslare, Ireland, to Fishguard, Wales. The fire caused significant damage to the engine room but nobody was injured and there was no damage to the environment. The fire was extinguished by the crew.The…

The 73-meter-long German oil and chemical tanker Annika caught fire on October 11 whilst northeast of Kühlungsborn, Germany, in the Baltic Sea. The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Bremen, operated by the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People (DGzRS), led the response.The sea rescue boat Wilma Sikorski rescued all seven crew members shortly after the fire was reported, and Reuters reports that the fire was extinguished and the vessel is now safely into the port of Rostock.The vessel was carrying around 640 tonnes of oil…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has reported a fire on a Malta-flagged tanker Med Atlantic in the East Johor Straits.The vessel is currently anchored and there is no disruption to vessel traffic in the area, MPA said, adding that all 22 crew had disembarked the vessel and were safe with no injuries.According to the alert MPA received, the fire started an engine room onboard the vessel. An MPA patrol craft, two Police Coast Guard craft, three Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) marine firefighting and rescue vessels…

The installation of an incorrect valve in a pipe to a diesel oil tank led to a fatal fire aboard a cargo vessel docked in LaPorte, Texas, an National Transportation Safety Board shows.On Jan. 8, 2024, a fire broke out in the engine room aboard the cargo vessel Stride during bunkering, or fueling, operations while docked at the Barbours Cut Marine Terminal. The fire self-extinguished after crewmembers shut down all ventilation to the engine room. Two crewmembers died as a result of the fire and one was seriously injured.

The Paris MoU has raised concerns about fire safety, specifically fire doors, after the results of two previous concentrated inspection campaigns found a high level of non-compliance.The results of a concentrated inspection campaign on Fire Safety held from September 1 to November 30, 2023 were shared with the industry. Overall, compliance appeared to be satisfactory, however the result was less favorable on two specific topics; good working condition of fire doors (9.3% non-compliance) and fire drills (9.2% non-compliance).In the press release issued at the time…