Handling Marine Incidents By Planning
ON HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
From a transportation viewpoint, the United States is very fortunate to have a large area with direct access to the oceans via port facilities as well as inland waterways.
As with all of the other means of transportation, waterways can experience problems from accidents involving hazardous materials. The hazardous materials can be carried by freighter in bulk quantity or as part of a mixed cargo; in tankers as a bulk liquid or gas; or in specialized container ships. In addition, these cargoes can move through the waterways via barges that can be covered hoppers, tanks or open hopper barges that have individual tanks installed.
Decision-making: As with any incident involving a hazardous material, the first step in the decision-making process is to determine if there is a hazardous material present. This step can be accomplished in several ways:
- If the carrier is a container ship, then the containers will be placarded in the standard manner. For bulk shipments, the placard will also contain the four-digit identification number required by the Department of Transportation regulation.
- On barges that operate without any attendants, a warning sign is installed stating “Warning—Dangerous Cargo; No Visitors. No Smoking. No Open Lights.” The shipping documents are carried in the pilot house of the tow vehicle. These documents must be consulted to determine the specific commodity.
- On manned barges, shipping documents are kept with the operator.
- On freighters and container ships, a dangerous cargo manifest is carried on the bridge or in the pilot house. There is a document for each container or, in the case of bulk shipments, for each hold. These documents list the material, its quantity and its location.
- Another document that would be useful in case of a hazardous materials incident is a hatch plan fora freighter. This plan will show schematically the location of the load. It can be very useful in determining the commodity if the incident is deep inside a stack of other containers. Also, the hatch plan identifies any exposure problems by showing the locations of storage areas.
- The shipping company retains a bill of lading for the vessel in its office. If this information is available, then the specific commodity can be determined. If the vessel is underway, then the shipping company may be far removed from the incident and the bill of lading will be difficult to obtain.
- The Coast Guard National Response Center in Washington, D.C., may also be of some assistance in determining if the vessel carries hazardous materials and identifying the commodity. The center can be reached via a toll-free number 800-424-8883.
Problems for the fire service: Hazardous materials incidents involving a spill on the water can present significant problems for fire service personnel. These problems are a result of:
- Large quantities of material.
- Ease of flotation and spread.
- Accessibility to the site.
- Containment difficulty.
- High exposure problems.
- Large amounts of extinguishing agents required.
It should be obvious that all of these problems require an extensive amount of pre-planning, which should be divided into several steps:
The first step is to make an inventory of all of the vessels that move through a port or on a waterway in your community. This process should develop the name of the vessel, the owner, the type of ship, and the flag it sails under. In addition, fire officers will need to know the type of cargo that is generally carried, the number of crew members and passengers normally carried and the language spoken by the crew.
Next, it is necessary to gather specific construction information about each vessel. This information should include such items as the dimensions, the loaded and unloaded capacity, the type of propulsion, the type and amount of fuel carried and used, and the location and identification of the compartments.
Third, it will be necessary to develop an emergency call list for the shipping companies that utilize the port facility. If the waterway is navigable but there is no port in the community, this information is still necessary.
The fourth step is to determine the built-in fire protection systems in the port as well as on board the ship. Items such as required hookups, pumping pressures and special extinguishing agents need to be determined in advance. Also, the remote controls for built-in systems as well as any emergency shutoff devices should be planned.
Diagrams valuable: Diagrams of the vessels in cross section are another valuable aid that will help the fire officer. These will show hatches, access ports, engine location, etc.
All of this information must then be put in a format that makes it easily retrievable. For facilities with just a small port, the information can be kept in a notebook. However, this technique would be unmanageable in a larger port, so another way would be to store the information on microfilm. The microfilm can then be kept on a command vehicle with a reader, giving instant access to the information.
Another problem to consider when handling a hazardous materials incident on a ship is stability. When large quantities of water are used for control or extinguishment, the stability of the vehicle could be jeopardized.
The fire officer must be sure to continually consult with the ship’s officers to determine how the extinguishing techniques are affecting the stability. Technical advice is necessary to ensure that the vessel does not capsize and cause a loss of life or injury. The ship’s officers can determine how to correct any instability. They can transfer fuel, shift the cargo, or pump out the areas where water has accumulated.
Remember, handling a hazardous materials incident involving marine transportation can present some very unique problems. Everything from the size of the vessel to the large amount of product that can be released all needs to be considered. Normal fire fighting techniques may not be possible because of the location and accessibility of the vessel. Ventilation may not be possible because of the strong construction used, and the resultant heat buildup may be impossible to eliminate.
The key to handling a marine incident is to prepare in advance.
