Fire on a yacht – what to do and how to minimize damage

Fire on a yacht

A fire on a vessel is extremely dangerous, as the fire spreads instantly and can destroy a yacht in just 5 minutes. At sea, crew members don’t have to rely on anyone’s help; they simply won’t have time to come. A yacht is a kind of floating bomb made of flammable materials (wood and plastic) and, in addition, has gas and fuel cylinders on board. To prevent a vacation on the water from turning into a tragedy, you must act carefully, coordinatedly, and, most importantly, strictly follow safety precautions!

What can cause a fire?

According to statistics, a fire on a ship is an extremely rare occurrence. Experts note that they have to consider at most 80 such cases yearly. Considering that about 60 thousand yacht owners take out insurance, this is a little. However, more than four million euros are spent on compensation payments for insurance in case of fire. In contrast, the insurance compensation for damage for all other cases (combined) does not exceed 50 thousand.

The American Coast Guard keeps its own statistics, and according to its data, fires in small fleets account for 5% of all incidents that occur on a yacht. At the same time, every year, a third of sunken ships are lost due to fire on board.

The main causes of fire include passengers’ inattention, failure to comply with basic rules (for example, smoking in unauthorized places), or crew members’ negligent attitude to their duties, including careless handling of gas. The next common reason is technical problems and a lack of preventive fire prevention measures. Let’s take a closer look at what specific actions (or inactions) can lead to a fire.

What should you focus on?

Firstly, electrical wiring malfunctions cause 50% of all fires, not only at sea but also on land. Often, the cause is loose contacts that are not fixed in time, causing the wires to heat up. Loss of wiring insulation in wet conditions will result in a short circuit.

Secondly, a quarter of all fire hazards occur in the engine compartment. This is caused by the accumulation of flammable materials in a confined space at high temperatures. The main reason is engine overheating caused by poor cooling with seawater. A running motor gets very hot, parts made of plastic melt, and the insulation of wires is damaged—all this can cause a fire. Similar consequences can be caused by insufficient cooling of the exhaust pipe.

Fuel leakage occurs due to a faulty fuel line or negligence when refueling the engine. Outbreaks due to a diesel fuel leak from a boat motor account for only 10%, and 90% of fire hazards begin with a gasoline leak due to careless refueling of the dinghy engine.

Thirdly, gas cylinders are stored in confined spaces, which pose an increased danger. A liter of liquefied propane, combined with air, forms 0.25 cubic meters of an explosive “cocktail”. Propane (butane) in a liquefied state is heavier than air and can accumulate in an unventilated room, and the proportion of gas in the air of 5% or more already creates an explosive situation that can occur from an accidental spark.

Negligence and external factors

Human factors, including negligence and error, play a significant role in fires onboard yachts. Simple acts of carelessness, such as leaving cooking appliances unattended or improperly extinguishing cigarettes, can easily start a fire.

Hot weather and direct sunlight can also contribute to the risk of fires, especially when combined with other factors. Items like glasses, lenses, and glass bottles left on a teak deck can act as magnifying glasses, focusing sunlight into a concentrated beam capable of igniting nearby flammable materials. 

Avoid leaving glasses, lenses, glass bottles, or any reflective objects in direct sunlight on the deck. Store such items in shaded or enclosed areas. Regularly inspect the deck and other exposed areas for potential fire hazards.

Precautionary measures:

  1. Carefully (before the start of the flight) check the integrity of the wiring, clean the contacts, and replace the wires if you notice even the slightest damage.
  2. Install the temperature sensor in the exhaust pipe. Clean the pipes; their clogging often causes increased engine heating. If you suspect a coolant leak, make sure there are no defects in the hose or pipe (if found, replace it immediately).
  3. Only refuel the dinghy’s engine on shore as petrol is extremely flammable. Refuel the outboard motor on deck only if absolutely necessary, strictly observing safety precautions.
  4. Store gas cylinders in a locker specially designated for this purpose in the cockpit. Constantly check whether burners, gas stoves, fittings, and hoses are in working order.
  5. Install simple indicators that are sensitive to gas and smoke; they will promptly signal the accumulation of gas in the room and the occurrence of smoke. You can install a modern alarm system associated with an electric start system, which will prevent the engine from starting if a certain concentration of vapors is detected.
  6. Never leave cooking appliances unattended while in use. Establish designated smoking areas and provide proper disposal containers for cigarette butts.

Actions of the team in case of fire:

  1. Immediately announce an emergency alert: notify the crew members and broadcast a triple “PAN” signal.
  2. One person is preparing for evacuation.
  3. The rest begin to localize the ignition. At the same time, the vessel should be de-energized, the oil and fuel lines should be shut off, and gas cylinders and other flammable objects should be taken to a safe distance from the source of the fire.
  4. If the captain has decided to evacuate, the distress signal “MAYDAY” is broadcast, the life raft is lowered into the water, and the life buoy is activated.

Even with a seemingly insignificant fire, it is necessary to act quickly since the threat of a relatively rapid spread of fire in a confined space is too great, and you can lose control of the situation at any moment.

Use of fire extinguishing agents

Using a fire blanket (a blanket with a special impregnation), you can extinguish small fires in the galley or cabin (for example, when bed linen catches fire). The blanket covers the source of fire, stopping oxygen from reaching it. When stored, the felt takes up little space.

An automatic fire extinguishing system is useful in cases where the source of ignition is difficult to reach and sometimes impossible, such as when a fire occurs in an internal closed area. Stationary systems prevent the development of fire by using carbon dioxide or freon. The gases are safe, but when in contact with heated air, freon emits toxic substances, so after the fire extinguishing system is in operation, all rooms must be well-ventilated.

Do not try to install such a system yourself; entrust this task to specialists. During installation, they must provide for all possible situations, and if necessary, gas must flow freely to the galley, cabins, engine compartment, etc. Please note that there must be a redundancy function so that the automatic fire system can be activated manually.

Less expensive option: Place automatic fire extinguishers in areas where fires are most likely to occur, which go off when the temperature rises above a preset level.

The skipper is obliged to inform the crew and show the location of fire extinguishing equipment, conduct instructions, and organize a drill to practice actions in the event of a fire hazard. If the yacht is charter, then when accepting it, pay attention to whether the fire extinguishers have expired. Devices of different types have different service life, for example, for foam ones – no more than two years, and for powder ones – five. Upon expiration of the storage period, the fire extinguisher must be completely replaced or refilled (the chemical reagents contained inside are replaced). The replacement date is always stamped on the body; be sure to pay attention to this fact when purchasing a fire extinguisher.

Prevention is the best way to avoid a fire hazard on board a ship. The responsible attitude of all crew members to the yacht’s maintenance, regular inspection of unsafe areas, and timely elimination of minor problems will help avoid a big disaster.

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