A fishing boat out of Shetland recently had to put in to port again after a fire broke out in the engine room of the vessel whilst at sea on a fishing trip.
It managed to return safely to its home port despite the damage caused by the blaze on board the boat.
The crew of three put out a mayday call at around 10pm in the evening whilst being around forty miles out to sea north east of Lerwick.
A lifeboat from Lerwick was immediately dispatched to the scene of the emergency as well as a rescue helicopter from Sumburgh.
Thankfully when they arrived at the scene of the fire on the boat the crew had managed to fight the blaze and bring it under control.
None of the crew was injured during the fire.
In the space of two days this happened to be the second on board fire after a Norwegian vessel caught alight in the same area, requiring emergency crews to attend.
Thanks to good fire safety training and the correct response by the skippers of the fishing boats two major catastrophes at sea were averted.
They immediately reported the fires to the coast guard and thus ensured the safety of the crews on board each ship.
A fire on board a ship at sea is potentially one of the worst places such an event can take place.
This is due to the fact that a vessel is alone at sea and emergency services cannot normally arrive on the scene to give aid quickly in the same manner that the fire brigade can on dry land.
Because of this stringent fire safety measures need to be put in place to help reduce the risk of damage and loss of life.
If a fire happens to break out whilst at sea then the only way to combat it is by having a well trained crew who can tackle the blaze immediately.
The conditions at sea are often harsh and it is not always advisable to go over board as the ice temperatures can take a human life within minutes.
Boats need to have a variety of safety measures in place and depending upon the size of the vessel these can range from simply having extinguishers onboard to full blown fire alarm systems and gas suppression units.
The majority of boats have automatic fire extinguishers fitted in the engine blocks so if a fire breaks out it can be extinguished quickly.
These models come in powder or FE-36 variants and range in size from 1kg upwards depending upon the size of the area they need to protect.
They offer a very good first line of defence.
A larger boat may have a full alarm system with gas suppression tanks that can completely flood an engine room and tackle a fire.
Throughout the vessels fire extinguishers are placed.
These are often a mix of CO2 to fight electrical hazards, Foam or water for Class A fires and often wet chemical to cover class F fires involving cooking fats in the ships galleys.
Fire blankets are also installed in the kitchen areas for added protection.
Crews are trained in the use of extinguishers and know that in the event of a fire they must tackle it quickly and efficiently in order to prevent damage to the boat that may cause it to sink.
Coast guards should be radioed immediately and flares fired in order to alert the authorities.
Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, train hard for fire safety and don't make it any harder.
It managed to return safely to its home port despite the damage caused by the blaze on board the boat.
The crew of three put out a mayday call at around 10pm in the evening whilst being around forty miles out to sea north east of Lerwick.
A lifeboat from Lerwick was immediately dispatched to the scene of the emergency as well as a rescue helicopter from Sumburgh.
Thankfully when they arrived at the scene of the fire on the boat the crew had managed to fight the blaze and bring it under control.
None of the crew was injured during the fire.
In the space of two days this happened to be the second on board fire after a Norwegian vessel caught alight in the same area, requiring emergency crews to attend.
Thanks to good fire safety training and the correct response by the skippers of the fishing boats two major catastrophes at sea were averted.
They immediately reported the fires to the coast guard and thus ensured the safety of the crews on board each ship.
A fire on board a ship at sea is potentially one of the worst places such an event can take place.
This is due to the fact that a vessel is alone at sea and emergency services cannot normally arrive on the scene to give aid quickly in the same manner that the fire brigade can on dry land.
Because of this stringent fire safety measures need to be put in place to help reduce the risk of damage and loss of life.
If a fire happens to break out whilst at sea then the only way to combat it is by having a well trained crew who can tackle the blaze immediately.
The conditions at sea are often harsh and it is not always advisable to go over board as the ice temperatures can take a human life within minutes.
Boats need to have a variety of safety measures in place and depending upon the size of the vessel these can range from simply having extinguishers onboard to full blown fire alarm systems and gas suppression units.
The majority of boats have automatic fire extinguishers fitted in the engine blocks so if a fire breaks out it can be extinguished quickly.
These models come in powder or FE-36 variants and range in size from 1kg upwards depending upon the size of the area they need to protect.
They offer a very good first line of defence.
A larger boat may have a full alarm system with gas suppression tanks that can completely flood an engine room and tackle a fire.
Throughout the vessels fire extinguishers are placed.
These are often a mix of CO2 to fight electrical hazards, Foam or water for Class A fires and often wet chemical to cover class F fires involving cooking fats in the ships galleys.
Fire blankets are also installed in the kitchen areas for added protection.
Crews are trained in the use of extinguishers and know that in the event of a fire they must tackle it quickly and efficiently in order to prevent damage to the boat that may cause it to sink.
Coast guards should be radioed immediately and flares fired in order to alert the authorities.
Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, train hard for fire safety and don't make it any harder.
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