MAIN causes of cargo fire incidents in RO-RO spaces: An analysis over the last 25 years

Abstract

The FIRESAFE study from EMSA revealed that 90% of all ro-pax ship fires are initiated in the carried cargo (vehicles and cargo units), which can be everything from brand new to poorly maintained, rebuilt, or unsafe. Today, all cargo (except dangerous goods) is loaded without consideration to the hazards they pose, leaving much room for fire prevention. This paper focuses on the analysis of available historical data related to fire accidents produced inside ships. The objective is to find out what the main causes and their origins are. The methodology includes the following steps: (1) the compilation of information from several maritime sources, (2) the corresponding homogenization based on preliminary outcomes of LASH FIRE (H2020 funded project, Grant Agreement #814975, in which this publication is framed), (3) a brief overview on the design of the underlying database which supports the analysis and finally, (4) the main conclusions. The analysis considers not only the type of ship and cargo (classified as dangerous or non-dangerous goods, if it is transported in a vehicle or not and, in that case, what type of vehicle, etc.) but also the ro-ro space where it was located. The resulting information is used to identify patterns in the root causes (electrical, mechanical, overheating, etc.) in order to create knowledge that can be further used for the development of innovative solutions for the implementation of fire hazard management.