Fuel and electrics
Governing: STCW Code Table A-VI/3. Builds on: L1.2.
Table A-VI/3 requires knowledge of control of fuel and electrical systems. In practice most serious yacht fires involve one or both: a fuel leak on a hot surface in the engine room, or an electrical fault in a switchboard, AV rack, laundry or battery installation.
Fuel: starve the fire
Before a team goes near a machinery space fire, the engineer should:
- Stop fuel transfer and purifier pumps.
- Close remote quick-closing valves on tanks supplying the space, from their position outside it.
- Stop machinery in the space if the master agrees; on passage this is a navigational decision.
- Isolate lube oil and hydraulic pumps that could spray onto hot surfaces.
- Report completion to the on-scene commander, who records the time.
Other fuel sources on yachts:
- Tender and toy fuel: portable cans and fixed tender tanks in the garage.
- Galley gas, where fitted.
- Helicopter fuel on yachts with a helideck and refuelling.
Electrics: remove ignition and protect crews
| Aim | Action |
|---|---|
| Remove ignition source | Isolate the affected circuit or distribution board |
| Protect firefighters | Prove isolation before using water on electrical equipment |
| Keep life safety | Maintain fire pumps, emergency lighting, alarms, PA |
| Keep manoeuvring | Retain steering and navigation power if at sea |
The REG Yacht Code builds in some of this. Under Part A 13.4, for yachts of 500 GT and over, a power-operated rescue boat crane must work by hand or from an emergency source in a main power failure, and power-operated shell doors and other obstructions to launching need main and emergency supplies unless they can be worked manually. If your fire takes out main power, those arrangements are what get your rescue boat away.
Shore power
Alongside, a fault may be fed from ashore. Isolate the shore supply at both ends: the ship's breaker and the pedestal. Confirm what now feeds the fire pump.
Batteries
Large lithium-ion banks for hybrid propulsion or hotel load, and small cells in toys and handheld devices, need their own isolation steps in the pre-plan. A battery fire may continue with the circuit isolated, because the energy is inside the cell. Expect prolonged cooling, toxic gas and re-ignition.
WARNING - Water and live equipment Do not direct a water jet at electrical equipment until isolation is proven. Use CO2 or a suitable clean agent on live equipment, and keep the BA team clear of fallen cables.
Who does what
The engineer on watch performs isolations; the on-scene commander authorises them; the bridge logs them. Isolations must be reported, recorded and reversed deliberately afterwards, not by whoever happens to be nearest.
TIP - Label the kill points Mark remote fuel valve pulls and ventilation stops on deck with photoluminescent labels, and make sure deck officers, not just engineers, can find them in smoke.