Fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system in ship fire protection systems

A car carrier operated by Grimaldi, a European Mediterranean shipping company, recently lost power in waters near France due to a fire in its engine room. The "Grande Roma," 5399CEU, departed from Antwerp, Belgium on October 24th. Around 10 PM the following evening (October 25th), while sailing in the English Channel, the captain reported a fire.

The shipping company stated that the crew activated the ship's carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system and continuously cooled the bulkheads. Although the fire was extinguished, the vessel remained powerless and drifted in the Channel.

So, what is a shipboard carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system?

• A fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system on board a ship is a type of fixed gaseous fire suppression system. It's used to protect areas such as engine rooms, cargo holds, and fuel separator rooms. 

  
  

• This system generally consists of two main parts: a carbon dioxide gas storage system and a release system. Key components include CO2 storage cylinders, starting cylinders, cylinder valves, release valves, purge valves, remote release stations (boxes), release pipelines, nozzles, and release alarm units.

  
  

• The system works by pressurizing the extinguishing agent CO2 into a liquid form and storing it in specially designed pressure-resistant steel cylinders. When a fire occurs in a corresponding compartment of the ship, the CO2 is released through the control station and piped to the designated compartment, purging the surrounding air and reducing the oxygen required for combustion, thus extinguishing the fire. Simultaneously, the high-pressure liquid carbon dioxide absorbs a large amount of ambient heat during vaporization, lowering the ambient temperature and inhibiting the spread of the fire, buying valuable time for firefighting and personnel escape.

What are the common types of fixed fire suppression systems?

• 1. Fixed gaseous fire suppression system

  
  

• 2. Fixed high-expansion foam fire suppression system

  
  

• 3. Fixed pressurized water mist fire suppression system

What types of ship premises require a fixed fire suppression system?

• 1. Engine rooms of ordinary cargo ships of 1,000 gross tons and above;

  
  

• 2. Engine rooms of liquid cargo ships of 500 gross tons and above carrying liquid cargo with a flash point not exceeding 60°C (closed cup test); each liquid cargo pump room of liquid cargo ships carrying liquid cargo with a flash point not exceeding 60°C (closed cup test);

  
  

• 3. Vehicle spaces and roll-on/roll-off spaces that can be sealed from a point outside the cargo space;

  
  

• 4. Cargo spaces of cargo ships of 2,000 gross tons and above, excluding roll-on/roll-off spaces and vehicle spaces, and loading spaces of any cargo ship engaged in the transport of dangerous goods; (Loading spaces of cargo ships of 2,000 gross tons and above may be exempted if they are specifically used for transporting ores, coal, grain, undried timber, and non-flammable goods or goods with a minor fire hazard);

  
  

• 5. Paint rooms and flammable liquid storage rooms with a deck area of 4 m² or larger for ships built on or after September 1, 2009.

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