Spills > Prevention Section > Picture of the Month

Picture of the Month May 2008 - Secure, maybe, but not safe.

An Ecology ship inspector photographed this locked starboard bridge wing fire station aboard a cargo ship at Tacoma, Washington.  The locked condition of the fire station came to the attention of the Ecology inspector when the crew was conducting a fire drill at the behest of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The crew spent much time trying to locate a key for the locked fire station, while the ship's Master provided explanation to the Ecology inspector. The Master said the station had been padlocked for the ship's last dry dock period in Dalian, China, ABOUT THREE MONTHS EARLIER out of fear of theft of the fire hose and its brass fittings.

The crew finally gave up on finding the correct key and, instead, was able to pry open the fire station box without significantly damaging it. [Which begs the question as to how effective the lock would have been against thieves in the first place.]

The embarrassed Master pledged to check the other fire boxes aboard the ship to ensure none of them remained locked.  The Ecology inspector emphasized the importance of being able to quickly access safety-related equipment in an emergency, in port and underway. He recommended that if security was a concern at a port that a safer approach might be to provide an extra security watch to patrol the vessel.