Your vessel has two fire pumps and a low pressure CO2 system, which protect the cargo holds and the engine room. A fire is reported on the #3 car deck aft hold. The emergency teams are on air. The first team reports from the forward end of the #3 car deck that there is heavy black smoke coming from the aft end of the hold and there is very limited visibility. They also report they cannot see any flames from their location. The second emergency team reports paint burning and blistering on the hull in the area of #3 car deck aft, as seen from the weather deck. How would you combat this fire?

Question

Accepted Answer

Option A: Pull all crew members out of the cargo holds and start boundary cooling from the weather deck with fire hoses. Simultaneously start the procedure to release CO2 into the zone that is on fire.. Heavy smoke, limited visibility, and boundary paint blistering indicate a severe, deep-seated fire requiring immediate evacuation of personnel, initiation of boundary cooling, and total flooding with fixed CO2.