The Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum (VCSF) has recently published its second industry good practice guidelines entitled, Fire Response – High Level Guidelines. The VCSF recognizes that responding to vehicle fires onboard pure car carriers, pure car and truck carriers, roll-on/roll-off vessels and roll-on/roll-off passenger vessels is both dangerous and challenging. These guidelines have been designed to reduce the risk, and improve the safety of crews, passengers, the environment, the vessel and the cargo. The guideline’s sole aim is to assist vessel operators and crews to be better prepared in meeting the challenges presented by vehicle fires.
The Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum is a consortium of vessel operators, insurers and other industry experts, whose role is to promote safety on vessels designed to carry vehicles. The guidance is supported by the International Group of P&I Clubs, the International Chamber of Shipping, and the TT Club, among other industry bodies.
The guidelines are intended to be used by vessel operators when considering their own fire response policies and procedures with a particular emphasis on using existing fixed firefighting systems to control vehicle fires early in their development.Members should take note of this information and be guided accordingly.
