Fire Alarm News

A fire broke out on the Panama-flagged livestock carrier North Star 1 while it was docked at the Port of São Sebastião, Brazil, on 3 March.Some of the 28 crew onboard required medical attention due to smoke inhalation, and the 2,600 cattle onboard, destined for Turkey, were disembarked.The fire was reported to have started in a provisions store containing livestock fodder.“The incident is a strong reminder of the dangers of fire at sea, and especially the risks of fire on livestock…

A set of amendments to key IMO treaties and Codes have entered into force on January 1, 2026. They include the following: Preventing and responding to bullying, harassment and sexual assaultAmendments to the Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code (STCW Code) aim to prevent and respond to violence and harassment in the maritime sector, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault.The amendments are included in table A-VI/1-4 (Specification of minimum standard of competence in personal safety and social responsibilities) of the STCW Code.

Consilium Safety Group and Hyundai Heavy Industries have signed an agreement to explore the use of AI-powered cameras in certified fire alarm systems on ships.The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the companies centers on Hyundai’s HiCAMS technology, which uses cameras to identify smoke and flames.While camera-based detection is emerging in other industries, this initiative is among the first to target marine applications directly.A pilot test is already underway on the test vessel Sawasdee Sunrise in Korea…

Benny Cenac Jr.’s Houma based Main Iron Works Company has completed the 10th boat newbuild for Ingram Marine Group. This partnership with Main Iron Works and Ingram began in 2021 and included the construction of 10 new towboats to be completed by the end of 2024. The first towboat, the Adrienne M. Moore was delivered to Ingram on March 30, 2021 with the 10th and last - M/V David North - delivered on January 29, 2025.M/V David North measures 69 x 30 x 10.5-ft. and is powered by twin Caterpillar C32 800 hp tier 3 diesel engines. It has a pair of Northern Lights 99kw generators.

The Coast Guard recently investigated an engine room fire on board an inspected towing vessel which led to the discovery of issues with the  maintenance and installation of fire detection systems on board multiple towing vessels. During the investigation, several towing vessels were discovered to have defective heat detectors installed in their engine rooms. These detectors had been recalled by the manufacturer in 2019 for failure to activate within their listed temperature range.

A containerized liquefied natural gas (LNG) solution jointly developed by Marine Service GmbH and Newport Shipping has received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society Bureau Veritas (BV).The 40' ISO LNG Fuel Tank Container System is suitable for LNG-fueled newbuildings and retrofits of container vessels.The LNG fuel tank container is a class approved Type C LNG fuel tank in accordance with the IGF-code and is based on German TÜV certified IMDG Container. The capacity of the tank is 31 gross tonnes and about 33m3 of LNG.

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will deliver the automation solutions (in German FüSAS – Führungssystem Automation Schiffstechnik) for the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy.Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, after the partners were selected as successful bidders in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years. The first ship is expected to be delivered to the German Navy in Hamburg in 2028.

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) recently held a sail-off ceremony in Ulsan for the delivery of the 27,000 gross tonnage car ferry Queen Jenuvia to Sea World Express Ferry, the largest domestic car ferry operator.The ferry with maximum speed of 21.8 knots and capable of accommodating 1,284 passengers, 478 cars and 88 trucks (25 ton) is scheduled to provide the service between Mokpo and Jeju island from end of this month.The vessel, measuring 170m in length…

The Italian company EmiControls has been working on innovative fire protection solutions worldwide since 2011. With the FT10e water mist turbine, EmiControls has launched a product that gives companies more safety in the fight against fires. This is a brief Case Study of an FT10e installation at the Recycling Center Santini in Northern Italy.EmiControls develops stationary and mobile firefighting turbines. EmiControls combines the high efficiency of water mist with an advanced turbine technology.When extinguishing fires, water mist achieves a higher cooling effect than a traditional water jet.

Caterpillar Marine has supplied two Cat 3516E Tier 4 main engines to the Andrew S. The EPA Tier 4 Final and Subchapter M azimuth stern drive (ASD) tractor tug was delivered to Bisso Towboat Co.Each engine generates 3,004 bhp at 1,800 rpm and a selective catalyst reduction (SCR) system. At 6,008 bhp, Andrew S. is the most powerful Tier 4 tug on the Mississippi River.The Andrew S. measures 100’ x 38’ x 13.5’ and has an estimated bollard pull of 84 tons. Additional features of the tug include U.S.

“Bibi-Heybat” Shipyard of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) has overhauled the towing-supply vessel “CM. Rahil” owned by Turkmenistan. ASCO claimed that the overhaul was completed on time and with high quality.According to a press release, the main and auxiliary engine coolers, air pipes, engine generators, the electrical engine of auxiliary steering unit was repaired at the plant in the course of the works, and the testing of crane-beam of the lifeboat was undertaken.Along with this, the windlass unit located in the bow of the vessel has been overhauled; the hydraulic systems of the towing winches were replaced with the new ones.

INTERSCHALT maritime systems AG, the provider of maritime software and services, as well as the manufacturer of VDR systems, introduces the background application Maritime Data Engine (MDE). 1. All data from one or more ships of a fleet with different data structures, independent of the data source and deployed platform, will be normalized and quickly made usable. 2. The MDE is no proprietary stand-alone solution but an Industry 4.0 compatible network solution that makes realtime data available via the standardized OPC-UA interface for third-party system integration.

The Coast Guard on Monday July 15, 2013, released the final report on the investigation into the November 8, 2010, fire onboard the cruise ship Carnival Splendor. The vessel suffered a major mechanical failure in the number five diesel generator, resulting in the fire. Post-casualty analysis of the event revealed that the installed Hi-Fog system for local protection was activated 15 minutes after the initial fire started. This delay was the result of a bridge watchstander resetting the fire alarm panel on the bridge. This was a critical error which allowed the fire to spread to the overhead cables and eventually cause the loss of power.

WESMAR announced that another ferry, the MV Norcon Galatea, has installed WESMAR’s commercial bow thrusters. The 387-ton, 125-foot Ro-Ro Passenger Ferry, owned by Norcon Marine Services, Clarenville, Newfoundland, provides support for the provincial ferry fleet serving Bell Island and Portugal Cove, Newfoundland. The Galatea has capacity for 70 passengers and 20 cars. The 40-year-old Ferry was previously the MV Hamilton Sound and owned by the Provincial Government, but in 2011 they sold her, and after extensive upgrades by its new owner the Provincial Government leased her back.

The marine variant of Kentec’s popular Syncro AS (Syncro ASM) single- or two-loop, networkable analogue addressable fire control panel has now received type approval from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK). Nippon Kaiji Kyokai is a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). This latest type approval for the Syncro ASM fire panel is in addition to type approvals already awarded by Det Norske Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd, Lloyds Register, Korean register, China Classification society and American Bureau of Shipping.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, is set to launch its highly acclaimed G-generation reachstackers, named Gloria, into the Asia-Pacific region. The much anticipated entry into APAC follows the successful introduction to European markets, where Kalmar's fifth generation reachstackers have been setting new standards in cargo handling performance. The launch will take place on 26 August in Shanghai, China. With thirty different Gloria models available, Kalmar offers the industry's widest range of reachstackers to meet all types of cargo handling applications. Developed to meet the critical demands of container, intermodal, barge and industrial handling market segments, Gloria provides the benchmark for productivity, operator comfort, safety and cost-efficiency.

Fireboy-Xintex Inc. offers a line of USCG Type Approved Fire Detection Systems for commercial vessels and recreational yachts. Marine Elite RSM Analog Addressable Fire Alarm Control Panels are available for hosting up to 256 fire detection devices on all Commercial and Recreational Marine applications. These control panels can also be expanded and networked to become part of larger systems. Elite RSM Control Panels are simple and easy to understand for installers, commissioning personnel and vessel owners and feature Apollo protocol smoke and heat detectors.

One year to the day after surviving an explosive fire which threatened the lives of 32 people on board his vessel, Captain Andreas Kristensen and his crew of the Britannia Seaways have received the 2014 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea, at a ceremony on Monday, November 17, 2014. Accepting the IMO medal and certificate on behalf of his crew, Captain Kristensen said the award should also be shared with the passengers, the Norwegian soldiers who assisted the crew during the firefighting, and the Norwegian rescue teams and firefighters who supported them.

Kidde Fire Systems announced the launch of a multi-language version of the ARIES NETLink Multi-Loop Intelligent Fire Alarm-Suppression Control Unit, which now supports French, Spanish and Portuguese, in addition to English. Kidde Fire Systems, a world leader in the development of fire detection and suppression systems, is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). Designed for a broader, non-English speaking audience and for use where UL/FM-listed products are accepted, the new ARIES NetLink enables Kidde channel partners to interact with and configure the control unit in the language of their region.

11 confirmed dead, confusion remains over number of missing; investigators fear they will find bodies on board. Tug boats hauled the burnt-out hulk of the ferry that caught fire on Sunday off the coast of Greece to a southern Italian port on Friday, opening the way for an investigation into the cause of the blaze that killed at least 11 people. Listing visibly to starboard, the Norman Atlantic multi-deck car-and-truck ferry was held outside the port of Brindisi as officials decided where it should be moored. The fire broke out on one of the lower garage levels and left the vessel drifting without power in stormy seas. It took Greek and Italian rescue teams 36 hours to evacuate 477 passengers and crew from the ship amid strong winds.

World-class builder and fabricator of aluminium, steel and composite material crafts and vessels NGV Tech of Malaysia has chosen Kentec Syncro AS Marine fire control panels for vessels under fit out and refurbishment at the company's shipyard in Sijangkang Malaysia. The vessels, a 52m Multiple Utility vessel built to BV classification for the National Iranian Oil Company, a 38m DP2 Oil and Gas field support Catamaran built to ABS classification for SeaWorks Ltd. and two refurbished 38m multi-purpose oil recovery Fifi tug boats built to BV classification for Marine Services Ltd (Saudi Arabia)…

Fireboy-Xintex Inc. has recently announced their new line of USCG Type Approved Fire Detection Systems for commercial vessels and recreational yachts. Marine Elite RSM Analog Addressable Fire Alarm Control Panels are available for hosting up to 256 fire detection devices on all Commercial and Recreational Marine applications. These control panels can also be expanded and networked to become part of larger systems. Elite RSM Control Panels are simple and easy to understand for installers, commissioning personnel and vessel owners and feature Apollo protocol smoke and heat detectors.

Kentec fire safety control panels have been chosen for the refurbishment of fire systems on the Red Funnel Ferry Group’s vehicle ferries that operate out of Southampton to the Isle of Wight. The refitting of the MV Red Osprey, following that of MV Red Falcon back in 2015, now leaves just the MV Red Eagle to be completed as part of Red Funnel Group’s multi-million pound refurbishment of its three vehicle ferries. This major project has seen the interior design and facilities of each ship replaced with a bright…