Classification
- Incident Type: Fire
- Severity: Medium
- Report classification: Serious marine casualty
- Investigation: Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | CAROLINE MÆRSK |
| Vessel Type | Container |
| Flag State | Denmark [DK] |
| IMO Number | 9214903 |
| Call Sign | OZWA2 |
| Gross Tonnage | 92198 |
| LOA (m) | 346.98 |
| Breadth (m) | 42.80 |
| TEU | 9578 |
| Year Built | 2000 |
| Crew Size | 22 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2015-08-26 |
| Location | Approximately 50 nm off the coast of Vietnam |
| Coordinates | 14.853333, 109.908333 |
| Region | South China Sea |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Cargo Loss | |
| Investigation Body | Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board |
| Direct Damage | Damage to containers, reefer cargo, and the CO2 room. |
| Economic Damage |
Key facts
- At 16:00 local time on 26 August 2015, a smoke detector and deck observations indicated smoke in cargo hold 9.
- The fire originated in a container of charcoal tablets for water pipes. The cargo was not correctly declared as dangerous goods under the IMDG Code.
- The ship's CO2 system failed to release the intended amount into the cargo hold because the main distribution valve did not open; the failure also caused a dangerous release in the CO2 room.
- The ship's container firefighting drill could not penetrate the burning container. The crew used an angle grinder to insert a water nozzle and later flooded adjacent containers.
- The fire was contained, the damaged container was discharged in Tanjung Pelepas, and the vessel proceeded to Singapore for repairs.
Narrative
On 26 August 2015, CAROLINE MÆRSK was approximately 50 nautical miles off Vietnam, sailing from Chiwan, China, to Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia. At 16:00 local time, the bridge received a smoke-detector alarm for cargo hold 9 and reports of smoke from the hatch. The crew raised the general alarm, stopped ventilation and electrical power to the hold, and organized boundary cooling and fire teams. The crew initially did not know the contents of the affected container. A second team located a container several levels down in the hold as the probable source.
The master ordered release of the hold's CO2 system, but the system failed to deliver the intended amount. The DMAIB report states that the main distribution valve did not open; a subsequent examination found that a control valve was not fully open and that a gasket in the main pipeline had burst. CO2 escaped into the room, creating a serious risk to the crew. The breathing-apparatus compressor later broke down, and the ship's special container firefighting drill could not penetrate the container door.
After practicing with an angle grinder, the second officer cut a hole in the burning container shortly after 04:00 on 27 August and inserted a water nozzle. The crew monitored adjacent containers, flooded two of them when temperatures rose, and extinguished smouldering charcoal that appeared in hold 8 on 28 August. A salvage firefighting team boarded before arrival. CAROLINE MÆRSK moored in Tanjung Pelepas at 03:58 on 29 August, discharged the damaged container at 23:59, and proceeded to Singapore on 31 August for repairs and cleaning.
The DMAIB concluded that charcoal self-ignition caused the fire. It also found that undeclared cargo prevented the crew from identifying the hazard immediately, while equipment failures and procedures that did not match the dynamic emergency complicated firefighting. The crew and shore organization adapted their response and prevented the fire from spreading excessively.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2015-08-26 16:00 LT (UTC+8) | Smoke was detected in cargo hold 9 and the general alarm was activated. |
| 2015-08-26 | Fire teams located the probable source container; the initial CO2 release failed and the crew withdrew from the CO2 room after the dangerous release. |
| 2015-08-26 18:45 LT | A breakdown of the breathing-apparatus compressor disrupted manual firefighting until the crew devised a temporary repair. |
| 2015-08-27 shortly after 04:00 LT | The second officer used an angle grinder to penetrate the burning container and insert a water nozzle; the fire was then considered under control. |
| 2015-08-28 | Smouldering charcoal was found in hold 8 and extinguished with firefighting teams and hoses. |
| 2015-08-29 03:58 LT | CAROLINE MÆRSK moored at Tanjung Pelepas; the damaged container was discharged at 23:59. |
| 2015-08-31 to 2015-09-06 | The vessel proceeded to Singapore for repairs, refitting, and cleaning before returning to service. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self-heating charcoal | Confirmed finding | The DMAIB identified self-heating of charcoal tablets as the direct cause of the fire. |
| Undeclared dangerous cargo | Confirmed finding | The charcoal was described as water-pipe tablets and was not declared as dangerous goods, so the crew could not identify the hazard from the manifest. |
| CO2 system failure | Confirmed finding | The main distribution valve did not open, and the failed release caused a dangerous CO2 escape in the CO2 room while little gas reached the hold. |
| Container firefighting equipment | Confirmed finding | The power drill and supplied piercing equipment could not penetrate the container door under the conditions encountered. |
| Emergency preparedness mismatch | Confirmed finding | DMAIB found that formal procedures did not fully match the dynamic situation; the crew's adaptation and resourcefulness enabled containment. |
Investigation
The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board issued its marine accident report on 4 April 2016. It concluded that charcoal self-ignited in a below-deck cargo container. The report found that the cargo was not correctly declared under the IMDG Code and analyzed failures of the CO2 system, breathing-apparatus compressor, and container firefighting equipment. It also concluded that the crew and shore organization successfully adapted their response, contained the fire, and prevented excessive spread. The report records no deaths, injuries, or missing crew members.