Section 18.1 Common Emergencies on Bulk Carriers (Fire, Flooding, Collision, Grounding)

While every emergency has unique characteristics, several types of incidents are commonly encountered across all vessel types, including bulk carriers. Understanding the primary risks allows for targeted training and resource allocation.

1. Fire: Fire remains one of the most significant threats onboard any vessel. On a bulk carrier, potential fire sources are numerous:

Machinery Spaces: Fires involving fuel oil, lubricating oil, electrical equipment, or hot surfaces are a constant concern. The high concentration of flammable materials and ignition sources makes engine rooms particularly vulnerable.

Accommodation: Electrical faults, galley fires (e.g., deep fat fryers, unattended cooking), or improper disposal of smoking materials can lead to fires in living and working spaces.

Cargo Holds: While covered in more detail later, some bulk cargoes themselves can pose a fire risk (e.g., self-heating coal, some direct reduced iron – DRI). Welding or hot work near cargo holds can also be an ignition source.

Stores and Workshops: Flammable paints, chemicals, and materials stored in workshops or paint lockers.

Electrical Systems: Overloaded circuits, short circuits, or faulty electrical equipment anywhere on the vessel.

Key Preparedness and Response Aspects for Fire:

Prevention: Good housekeeping, regular maintenance of machinery and electrical systems, strict adherence to hot work procedures, proper storage of flammable materials, and enforcement of smoking policies.

Detection: Functional and regularly tested fire detection systems (smoke, heat, flame detectors) covering all relevant spaces.

Fixed Fire-Fighting Systems: Ensuring the readiness of fixed systems such as:

CO2, foam, or water mist systems for machinery spaces.

Water spray/sprinkler systems for accommodation or specific areas.

Fire mains, hydrants, hoses, and nozzles throughout the vessel.

Portable Fire-Fighting Equipment: Adequate numbers of appropriate portable fire extinguishers (water, foam, dry powder, CO2), fire blankets, and fireman’s outfits (including SCBA – Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) strategically located and regularly inspected.

Training and Drills: Regular and realistic fire drills simulating various scenarios in different locations, including use of SCBA, hose handling, boundary cooling, and search and rescue techniques.

Emergency Escape Routes: Clearly marked and unobstructed escape routes and emergency lighting.

SOPEP/Emergency Plans: Clear procedures within the ship’s emergency plans for fire response, including raising the alarm, mustering, initial attack, containment, and coordination with shore-based assistance if required.

2. Flooding (Including Hull Breach): Uncontrolled ingress of water poses an immediate threat to a bulk carrier’s stability and buoyancy.

Causes:

Collision: Impact with another vessel.

Grounding: Striking the seabed or an underwater object.

Hull Failure: Structural failure due to stress, corrosion, or fatigue (a significant concern for ageing bulk carriers).

Damage from Heavy Weather: Wave impact causing damage to shell plating or hatch covers.

Leaking Stern Tubes or Sea Chests: Failure of seals or valves.

Pipe Failure: Rupture of ballast, cooling water, or other seawater system piping.

Consequences: Loss of stability, capsizing, sinking, damage to machinery and electrical systems, loss of cargo.

Key Preparedness and Response Aspects for Flooding:

Prevention: Maintaining hull integrity through regular inspections and maintenance, adherence to load line regulations, careful navigation to avoid groundings and collisions, and securing the vessel for heavy weather.

Detection: Bilge alarms, regular sounding of bilges and void spaces, and vigilant watchkeeping.

Damage Control Equipment: Ensuring availability and readiness of damage control equipment such as:

Portable salvage pumps.

Damage control plugs, wedges, shores, and patches.

Collision mats (if carried).

Bilge and Ballast Systems: Ensuring main bilge pumping systems and ballast systems are fully operational for dewatering or counter-flooding (if necessary for stability).

Watertight Integrity: Maintaining the watertight integrity of the hull, bulkheads, and watertight doors. Regular checks and drills for closing watertight doors.

Stability Information: Quick access to and understanding of the ship’s stability information to assess the impact of flooding and plan corrective actions.

Training and Drills: Drills simulating various flooding scenarios, including locating the source of flooding, isolating damaged compartments, rigging portable pumps, and applying temporary repairs.

Emergency Plans: Clear procedures for responding to flooding, including damage assessment, stability calculations, and communication.

3. Collision: A collision with another vessel can have catastrophic consequences, including hull breach, fire, pollution, and loss of life.

Causes: Human error (e.g., improper lookout, non-compliance with COLREGs, fatigue, misjudgment of speed/distance), equipment failure (e.g., steering gear, radar), and restricted visibility.

Key Preparedness and Response Aspects for Collision:

Prevention: Strict adherence to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), maintaining a proper lookout by all available means, effective use of radar and ARPA, bridge team management, passage planning, and VTS participation.

Immediate Actions Post-Collision:

Sound general emergency alarm.

Account for all personnel.

Assess own ship’s damage and stability.

Assess damage to the other vessel (if possible and safe).

Offer assistance to the other vessel if safe to do so.

Transmit distress message if required.

Exhibit appropriate lights and shapes.

Preserve VDR/S-VDR data.

Damage Control: Implement flooding and fire response procedures as necessary.

Communication: Report to company, coastal authorities, and P&I Club.

Training and Drills: Bridge team training, collision avoidance exercises (simulator or tabletop), and emergency steering drills.

4. Grounding: When a vessel makes unintended contact with the seabed or an underwater obstruction.

Causes: Navigational error, incorrect charts or ECDIS data, failure of navigational equipment, engine or steering failure in confined waters, dragging anchor.

Consequences: Hull damage, flooding, oil pollution (if fuel tanks are breached), structural stress, potential refloating difficulties, and salvage operations.

Key Preparedness and Response Aspects for Grounding:

Prevention: Thorough passage planning, use of up-to-date charts, careful navigation in shallow or restricted waters, monitoring under-keel clearance, proper anchoring procedures.

Immediate Actions Post-Grounding:

Stop engines.

Sound general emergency alarm.

Assess the situation: location, nature of seabed, extent of damage (internal soundings, visual inspection if safe), vessel’s stability, tide and current conditions.

Check for pollution.

Transmit distress or urgency message as appropriate.

Exhibit appropriate lights and shapes.

Prevent further movement or damage (e.g., by waves or tide).

Refloating Assessment: Determine if refloating is possible without assistance or if salvage is required. Consider tidal conditions, cargo operations (lightening the vessel), and potential for further damage during refloating attempts.

Communication: Report to company, coastal authorities, P&I Club, and classification society.

Training and Drills: Navigational training, passage planning exercises, and emergency response drills for grounding scenarios.

These common emergencies require a foundational level of preparedness on all bulk carriers. The ship’s Safety Management System (SMS) must contain detailed procedures for responding to each, and regular drills are paramount to ensure crew readiness.