Cargo fires occur so infrequently that awareness of the risk can slip under the radar. Yet such an incident on board a vessel can have disastrous consequences including loss of life or catastrophic loss of the vessel involved. With the average cost of a cargo fire at several million USD, cargo fires are not a risk to be overlooked.

When a fire breaks out on board a vessel there is no fire service ready to assist in extinguising it – that is up to the crew themselves. The Club, in conjunction with Burgoynes, have produced a handbook – Fire! A guide to the causes and prevention of cargo fires – which can be used alongside the regulations to assist seafarers in their daily loss prevention efforts. The publication can be downloaded from The Swedish Club Publications or please request a press copy from marketing.comms@swedishclub.com

Member Alert is published by The Swedish Club as a service to members. While the information is believed correct, the Club cannot assume responsibility for completeness or accuracy.