Fire in Engine Room


	Emergency Contingency Procedures ECP Fire in Engine Room	Doc No.: ECP 05-16 Revision: 01 Date: 15 Oct 2024 Issued by: DPA Approved by: MD

5.16 Fire in Engine Room

5.16.1 General

(a) All fires always start small. It is an explosion that is sudden, and can be big; on the other hand, a fire may increase rapidly but always starts small. Hence, that is the best time to fight the fire. You can find statistics or reasons for what caused a fire, but it is difficult to get statistics for what did not cause a fire. It is universally accepted that cleanliness and good housekeeping is one of the most important factors that prevent a fire.
(b) In an engine room, some areas are more prone to fire than others. Localised fires inside the engine room cannot be generalised, as circumstances will vary with location and machinery affected.
(c) Hence, the approach to fight the fire will be governed by this fact, and for this reason, different procedures for this type of emergency should be worked out by each vessel and discussed during fire drills.
(d) Given below are some of the areas that are considered more fire prone and a short guide to fire fighting in these areas. General precautions such as the use of PPE, Fireman’s suit, SCBA and evacuation have not been mentioned here but should not be overlooked.

5.16.2 Immediate Action

Following should be considered:

SR	Action	Responsibility
1	Activate Fire alarm & inform Bridge	Person sighting the fire first
2	Try to extinguish the fire by a portable extinguisher or water sprays	Fire Fighting Teams
3	Report the Extent of fire to the bridge	Commander On Scene
4	Ensure emergency fire pump is running	Engine Room team
5	All ventilators, dampers and door of the fire affected area to be shut and boundary cooling commenced, if required	Engine Room team / Back-up Team
6	Decide whether a fire can be controlled by crew and whether the fire is limited to that area only, after visual check by C/E or the team leaders.	Commander On Scene
7	Decide early whether an attempt should be made to tackle the fire locally or use the total flooding system.	Master
8	If the fire cannot be brought under control, engine room should be evacuated, and head count taken again to ensure no one inside before flooding engine room with fixed fire extinguishing system.	Master
9	Keep the vessel heading and adjust her speed, in a way which is effective to extinguish the fire, and assist fire-fighting efforts, if applicable.	Master
10	On LNG carriers activate ESDS and confirm gas supply to E/R has stopped.	Chief Officer

Important Note: In an unmanned E/R the Duty Engineer attending the alarm shall not attempt to fight fire single-handed. He shall activate fire alarm and report location & extent to the Bridge and wait for assistance from a safe location.

5.16.3 Types of Fire in Engine Room

(a) Ship specific procedures should be made on board for such fires in engine room:

(i) Fire in Purifier Room – This is considered the most fire-prone area in the engine room as fuel and heat are both present. Most new ships are fitted with an auxiliary fixed fire-fighting system for this area. Common systems are ‘Sprinkler, Foam, Micro Fog, or Hyper Mist’. These may be manually operated or automatic. Fire-fighting procedure for the purifier room would be to shut off the purifier room exhaust fan and close the damper. Switch off power to the distributor panel feeding the purifiers and purifier feed pumps. Close the fuel & lube oil valves leading to the purifiers, from outside the purifier room. First attempt fire-fighting with portable extinguishers of the foam or dry powder type. Next, the Aux. Fixed F/F system. If the fire still continues, then the fire hose, and finally, if nothing helps, then the main fixed F/F system.
(ii) Fire in Fuel Pump Space – This is the next fire-prone area, and in many ships, the fuel pumps are located in the purifier room or purifier space. Procedure for fire-fighting is similar to purifier room, with the addition that the main engine will have to be stopped as the fuel pump will be stopped. As far as possible, the generator should be kept running on MDO.
(iii) Fire in Boiler Flat – The boiler burner space is considered a high fire-risk area, and you may find that this area has a high concentration of portable fire extinguishers, larger semi-portable extinguishers, sand box & scoop, portable foam applicator, etc. Procedure for fire-fighting should be to stop the boiler and FD fan, if necessary, trip it. Stop the fuel oil burning pump and shut valves. First attack with the large number of extinguishers foam and dry powder type, which should contain the fire. Next, the aux. F/F system if fitted, followed by fire hose, and finally the main fixed F/F system.
(iv) Fire in Auxiliary Engine Area – This is another area where fire is likely. Where possible, the generator most far from the fire area should be started, load transferred, and the generator near the fire stopped. If not possible or no time, then trip the main engine and all generators. Start the emergency fire pump after the emergency generator starts. Then as in all above cases, fight the fire first with portable extinguishers, then the aux. Fixed F/F system if fitted, next fire hose, and finally the main fixed F/F system.
(v) Fire near Main Engine – The most common cause for fire near the main engine is the spraying of high-pressure fuel oil onto the hot exhaust manifold. However, as all high-pressure fuel pipes now have double cover, this likelihood has reduced. In case of a fire, the main engine and the fuel pump should be stopped, and fuel valves shut. Fire-fighting as in the above cases should follow the same 4 stages.
(vi) Fire in Exhaust Boiler & Stack – In case of fire in the exhaust boiler, also called an uptake fire, the main engine should be stopped, the auxiliary blowers stopped, and turbocharger air filters covered to avoid air intake. The boiler water-circulating pump should be kept running, and external boundary cooling of the exhaust boiler and uptake done by fire hose. DO NOT carry out soot blowing, as under very high temperature the steam can break down into oxygen and hydrogen and result in an explosion.
(vii) Fire in M/E Scavenge – Almost all main engines are fitted with a fire-fighting system for the scavenge space. Generally, this is steam smothering. In case of a fire, stop the main engine and auxiliary blowers, cover turbocharger air filters to avoid air intake. Release the fire-fighting medium fitted on the engine. Engage turning gear and keep turning the main engine, keep jacket cooling water pump running.
(viii) Fire in Engine Room Workshop – The main cause for fire in the engine room workshop is poor housekeeping and not enough precautions during hot work. Especially hot work not involving arc or flame is often underestimated. Another major cause is electric heating elements or incandescent lamps left on with flammable material above it. Fire-fighting procedure would be to switch off power to equipment and use foam or dry powder portable extinguishers. If this is not successful, then fire hoses should be sufficient.
(ix) Fire near Incinerator – This is another area where fires are likely. Fire-fighting procedure would be shutting off power and fuel to the incinerator and using foam or dry powder portable extinguishers. Some ships have aux. Fixed F/F system here, and this is to be used next, followed by fire hoses.
(x) Fire in the Bilges – Poor housekeeping and falling hot particles from some hot work being carried out above mainly cause this fire. For fire-fighting, if the burning material is clearly visible, then portable foam or dry powder extinguishers can be used. If not, then fire hoses are most effective.
(xi) Fire in Steering Flat – This is generally a very low fire-risk area if proper housekeeping is done. In the unlikely event of a fire, switch off ventilation and power to equipment. First, use foam or dry powder portable extinguishers, followed by fire hoses.
(xii) Fire in Emergency Generator Room – This is also a low-risk area, and in the event of a fire on the generator engine, the engine should be stopped, the fuel tank outlet valve closed, and the fire fought with foam or dry powder portable extinguishers. In case the fire is on the emergency switchboard, then portable CO2 extinguishers should be used.
(xiii) Fire on Main Switchboard – Fire on the main switchboard is unlikely, but in case of a fire, the part on fire should be isolated if possible, and portable CO2 extinguishers used. NEVER USE FIRE HOSES WITH THE POWER ON. In case portable CO2 extinguishers do not control the fire, then trip and lock shut all running and non-running generators before using any other means or the fixed F/F system. Please be aware that non-running generators in stand-by position may suddenly start without warning.
(xiv) Fire in GVU Room – In case of an unlikely event of a GVU room fire, the ESD is to be activated, and gas burning stopped. All doors and vents to the GVU room are to be shut, and the fixed fire-fighting system activated.

(b) As per SOLAS amendment, external high-pressure fuel delivery lines between the high-pressure fuel pumps and fuel injectors shall be protected with a jacketed piping system capable of containing fuel from a high pressure line failure. This shall be verified by Chief Engineer and be complied with.

(c) During drills, training sessions and also during informal discussions, all staff should be encouraged to see the exact location of the electric breakers, valves and extinguishers to be used in all the various cases above.

5.16.4 Emergency Operation Procedures of Important Machinery / Equipments

(a) The following emergency procedures for operation of important machinery (ship specific) shall be posted at stated locations in the engine room. These emergency procedures should be followed in case of emergencies or malfunction of critical equipment.

(b) All engineering officers and crew are responsible to read these instructions and to be familiar with the operation thereof.

Item No.	OPERATION OF	LOCATION OF POSTED PROCEDURES
1	Start-up Procedure after Black-out	Engine Control Room
2	Local Operation of Main Engines	Engine Control Room & Local Starting Console
3	Emergency Operation of Steering Gear	Steering Gear Command Post, Steering Gear Flat
4	Emergency operation of Aux. Boiler	Engine Control Room & Boiler Panel
5	Operation of Emergency Generator	Emergency Generator Room
6	Operation of Emergency Fire Pump	Emergency Fire Pump Room & Fire Station
7	Operation of Fixed Fire Fighting System	All Operating Stations
8	Operation of Aux. Fixed F/F System	All Operating Stations
9	Operation of Quick Closing Valves	At Operating Station
10	Remote Shut of E/R Vent Dampers	At Operating Station
11	Emergency Operation of Elevator	Elevator Machinery Room
12	Manual Clutch / Declutch of Propeller Clutches	Control Cabinet for each Clutch, E/R Floor
13	Operation of Bow Thrusters	Bow Thrusters Room / Bridge