Liberia warns of hazards without wheelhouse fire protection

Liberia Maritime Authority has released a marine advisory regarding the hazards associated with vessels with wheelhouses not protected by a fire detection and alarm system.

The advisory was published on 21 November 2023.

Purpose

The purpose of this Marine Advisory is to draw the attention of shipowners, operators, inspectors, masters, and crew to the hazards associated with vessels with wheelhouses not protected by a fire detection and alarm system.

Background

The Administration is in the process of finalizing its investigation into a recent fire on board a vessel whose wheelhouse was not protected by a fire detection and alarm system, which is currently not required under existing regulation SOLAS II-2/7.5.5.

The investigation is considering that the most likely cause of the fire was the thermal runaway of a lithium-ion battery pack for a hand-held radio that was being charged on a desktop in the wheelhouse.

Recommendation

Therefore, the Administration recommends that Owners, Operators, Masters, and Crew of vessels whose wheelhouses are not protected with a fixed fire detection and fire alarm system take measures to ensure that highly flammable material not be stored in the wheelhouse, and that the charging of lithium-ion batteries not be done unattended or unsupervised.

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