Last night, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) swiftly responded to a fire incident on a vessel anchored off the southeast coast of Singapore, near the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
Upon receiving the alert at approximately 9:35 p.m., four SCDF marine firefighting and rescue vessels, accompanied by around 40 marine firefighting specialists from Brani and West Coast Marine Fire Stations, were immediately deployed to the scene.
Equipped with water jets, they focused their efforts on the two accommodation decks where the fire had been confined.
Prior to SCDF’s arrival, the crew of the vessel had taken proactive measures by setting up three water jets to cool the exterior of the ship.
This technique, known as boundary cooling, aims to reduce the temperature of the vessel’s metal structure and prevent the fire from spreading further.
Additionally, two water jets were used to control the fire until the SCDF’s marine firefighting team took over the operation.
The firefighting operation proved successful as the flames were fully extinguished. However, the damping down process, which involves applying water to wet the burnt surfaces immediately after extinguishing the fire, continued until approximately 5:00 a.m. today.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries during the incident, and all crew members of the affected vessel have been accounted for. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities, who will determine the factors that led to the incident.
SCDF’s statement on Facebook
[Marine Firefighting Operation @ Southeast of Singapore]
Last night (11 July) at about 9:35 p.m., SCDF was alerted to a fire on a vessel anchored off the southeast of Singapore, near Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
A total of four SCDF marine firefighting and rescue vessels and about 40 marine firefighting specialists from Brani and West Coast Marine Fire Stations were deployed to the incident.
Arriving alongside the anchored vessel, the marine firefighting specialists boarded the vessel and using a water jet, they extinguished the fire which was confined to two accommodation decks.
Before SCDF’s arrival, the vessel’s crew had set up three water jets to cool the exterior of the vessel and two water jets to control the fire. Cooling of the vessel’s exterior is known as boundary cooling, this helps to reduce the temperature of the vessel’s metal structure.
After the fire was extinguished, the damping down* operation continued until about 5:00 a.m. today.
There were no reported injuries and all crew members of the affected vessel were accounted for.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
*Damping down refers to the application of water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out. It is to prevent the potential rekindling of the fire.