Following a recent marine casualty resulting in an engine room fire onboard a commercial fishing vessel, the US Coast Guard (USCG) has published a Safety Alert to address the importance of installing noncombustible materials in machinery space boundaries with dry exhaust systems.
The incident highlighted the significant hazards associated with main engine dry exhaust systems coming in direct contact with combustible materials, such as general purpose resin on a wood Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) vessel. Some commercial fishing vessels are required to insulate combustibles from heated surfaces in accordance with 46 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 28.380(b) and ABYC P-1 requires fittings in contact with uncooled exhaust carriers to be noncombustible. Continue reading “Recent fire draws safety alert on engine room exhaust hazards”