Navigation standards slammed - Tanker Operator

p35-38.qxd 09/05/2006 12:06 Page 1
TANKER
Operator
Tanker fires- recalling lessons from Iran-Iraq war*
TECHNOLOGY EMERGENCY RESPONSE
It is strange that many of the most important lessons from the hundreds of attacks on ships
during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war have been forgotten in recent years.
Tankers were the preferred
target in that conflict and
the air-launched weapons
in almost daily use caused
immense damage. In virtually all
cases, explosion and fire were the
inevitable outcomes of a missile
strike.
Today, of course, a major
tanker fire is a rare event. When it
does happen, however, it is a
nightmare for those on board.
Their first response is crucial. It
can have a decisive influence on
the possibilities for successful salvage.
It is in this area of first
response that many of the lessons
of the Iran-Iraq war are so important.
They are as relevant today, as
they were over two decades ago.
One significant lesson for professional
salvors was the effectiveness
of using firefighting foam in a
tactical way - to reduce fire intensity
and gain control of even the largest of
crude oil fires.
Equally, an important lesson for tanker
crews was the need to keep moving at all
costs, when oil outflow ignites and burns
on the surface of the sea. The alternative -
allowing the tanker to 'cook' in a lake of
burning crude - can have only one outcome:
the total destruction of the ship.
The lessons from the past can be considered
by an examination of two casualties:
the missile strike on the Thorshavet in
1984 and the terrorist attack on the
Limburg some 18 years later, in 2002. These
incidents have several points in common,
not least the fact that both resulted from
deliberate acts.
At the personal level, the Thorshavet
was my first experience of a burning
tanker. I was fresh from Nautical College
and had only recently joined the salvage
tug Ribut as second mate. Our tug had
received orders to proceed to the assistance
of the tanker. We arrived during a
December night and manoeuvred close in.
Despite the smoke and an impressive fire,
there could be no doubt about the cause. A
huge hole had been punched into her side.
It measured 10 m across and testified to
the violence of the missile penetration and
detonation.
As Ribut began firefighting, I had my
first chance to board a burning vessel. The
plan was to inject oxblood firefighting
foam into the burning tank. Two volunteers
were needed to open a manhole for
the foam injection; I stepped forward.
Everything on the Thorshavet was new and
strange to me. The main deck was very hot
- pools of water were boiling.
The lessons from that particular salvage
have stayed with me for over 20 years. I
saw how oxblood foam could be used to
reduce fire intensity. When steel temperatures
are that hot there is no chance of
extinguishing a fire. Foam evaporates
Lessons are as relevant today as they were two decades ago.
almost instantly. Yet it does have a suppressing
effect and this gives a casualty
'more life'. It gives the salvage master time
to boundary cool and bring those steel
temperatures down - hopefully to the
point where a full-scale foam attack will
kill the main fires. In fact, timing is everything.
If the fire is extinguished too early
and the surrounding steel is still too hot,
there is a serious risk of one or more explosions.
This could mean loss of life, total
destruction of the vessel and a pollution
disaster.
Intelligent and defensive use of firefighting
foam to reduce fire intensity was
important when confronting the
Thorshavet fires. Two decades on, it was
also important when the part-laden tanker
Limburg was attacked by terrorists in
October 2002, while off the Yemeni port of
Mina al Dabah. An explosive-filled small
fishing boat rammed this 299,364 dwt
tanker as the tug Riyan was helping to
moor her at Ash Shihr Terminal, four
miles offshore.
The resulting explosion tore through
the VLCC's double hull at the waterline. A
large fire developed as burning crude oil
flowed into the sea. The conflagration
heated the slicks and encouraged them to
spread, in turn intensifying the fires on the
surface of the sea. Limburg had a part
cargo of 65,000 tonnes of oil (with No. 2
centre and Nos. 4 port and starboard
loaded). The terrorists' boat scored a direct
hit on the laden No. 4 starboard tank.
Riyan immediately brought her fire monitors
into action.
Many questions
SvitzerWijsmuller obtained a Lloyd's
Form (LOF) and I was appointed salvage
master for the tanker. As always, many
questions passed through my mind on
hearing that this casualty was a burning
tanker:
TankerOperator May/June 2006 page 35
• Was the vessel laden?
• What was the cargo - crude or products?
• Where was the casualty and how far
from the coast was she?
• Was the vessel maintaining speed?
• How close was the nearest tug?
• Was the crew still on board?
• How many tanks were involved in the
fire?
• Was the engine room undamaged?
Gradually, a clearer picture of what had
happened began to emerge. It became
apparent that the 10 men working forward
when the attack took place had a very narrow
escape. Dense smoke and flames had
prevented them moving aft, to relative
safety. They were marooned by the fire.
At this time the tanker was moving
slow astern and this pushed smoke and
flames forward. Some of those trapped
decided to jump into the sea. In effect, they
were jumping into more danger. The
Limburg was part-laden and, therefore,
was very high in the water. They jumped
from a height of around 20 m. One man
was wearing a firesuit and this soon filled,
drowning him. As for the others, they
soon found themselves threatened when
patches of burning oil were swept towards
them as their vessel continued astern.
Fortunately, they were saved by one of
our pilots, who was in an inflatable close