CO2 flooding used to control cargo ship fire with 200 cars, 60 EVs in the harbour of Zeebrugge
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UPDATED APRIL 17:
In the outer harbor of Zeebrugge, a fire broke out on a cargo ship on Wednesday afternoon, carrying nearly 200 new cars, including 60 electric vehicles, as reported by Belgian news site HLN. This has been confirmed by Mayor Dirk De Dauw.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons License.
English: Port of Brugge (Zeebrugge)
Date: 24 February 2019, 05:21:28
Author: Sebaso
No injuries were reported, but the firefighting efforts were on late Wednesday local time expected to take many more hours and firefighters remained on-site throughout the night.
Belgian site Flows reported on April 17 that the fire aboard the MV Delphine at Zeebrugge has been extinguished, however the risk of reignition remains. The fire is believed to have been fuelled by electric vehicles generating intense heat over a longer period of time than regular ICE vehicles would during a ship fire.
According to the Maritime Executive, CO2 flooding was used to put out the fire, and more inert gas was blown into the hold overnight.
According to the site, new industry guidance calls for operators to respond with evacuation, ventilation shutdown and initiation of CO2 flooding very early in the firefighting process.
World Cargo News reports: “The internal CO2 system succeeded in extinguishing the fire,” confirmed Dirk De Fauw, Mayor of Bruges and Vice-President of Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
“Firefighters were then able to enter the affected compartment, which was filled with soot and had visibility of barely ten centimetres. Temperatures ranged between 40°C and 60°C. It was deemed too risky to open the doors, as introducing oxygen could trigger a flare-up.”
By evening, the cargo ship's CO2 tanks were said to be completely depleted, prompting the delivery of nitrogen from Antwerp. Starting at 10 p.m., the nitrogen was sprayed into the hold to suppress oxygen and prevent reignition. However, by the following morning, the temperature inside the hold remained between 30°C and 40°C, indicating that the situation still required careful monitoring.
“It is still unsafe to open the hold,” De Fauw said. “A decision was made to refill the ship’s CO2 tanks this afternoon, a process expected to take six to eight hours.”
The fire reportedly originated on the third deck of the cargo ship in Zeebrugge, which housed 60 electric vehicles and 40 conventional cars.
The captain chose to evacuate all 26 crew members but remained onboard to manage firefghting operations. Firefighters and responders boarded the ship, while four firefighting tugs joined the efforts by delivering cooling water to the starboard side.
Responders estimate that 60-70 vehicles in the hold have been destroyed in the fire, though the overall damage is still under assessment.
No injuries or environmental pollution have been reported. Containment barriers are in place to prevent any potential spread of contaminants.
Despite the fire, operations at Zeebrugge's port continued with minimal interruptions, Safety4Sea.com reports. Vessel traffic largely proceeded as usual, though a ship docked at the LNG terminal faced brief delays due to safety measures implemented near the incident.
GCaptain.com reports that The M/V Delphine, was built in 2018 and is operated by European logistics and short sea shipping provider CLdN. Reportedly it is known for being the world’s largest short sea roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) vessel with a cargo capacity of 8,000 lane meters. In 2023, it was fitted with two Norsepower rotors sails to reduce fuel consumption by harnessing the power of the wind.
The Port of Zeebrugge is, according to GCaptain.com, one of Europe’s principal automotive handling ports, serving as a crucial hub for vehicle imports and exports.
THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons License.
English: Port of Brugge (Zeebrugge)
Date: 24 February 2019, 05:21:28
Author: Sebaso
Original post April 16:
On Wednesday afternoon, a fire started aboard a cargo ship in Zeebrugge's outer harbour. The ship had 110 electric vehicles onboard. According to Mayor Dirk De Fauw, the fire originated on one of the vessel's cargo decks, although the extent of the fire remained uncertain early Wednesday evening.
The crew was evacuated and the ship's automatic firefighting system was activated. Tugboats were deployed to contain the fire, while the federal police set up a perimeter. Fortunately, the smoke blew out to sea, reducing the risk of disruption on land, Belgian news site HLN reports.
No injuries have been reported.
The spokesperson for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges confirmed that operations in the rest of the harbour remain unaffected. Firefighting boats have been combating the have for hours at Britannia Dock, and the duration of the firefighting efforts is still unclear.
The emergency services were reportedly alerted to the scene at around 15:00 CET.
THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE