Draft Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection) Regulations 2023

Mike Kane Excerpts

Monday 27th March 2023 General Committees

[Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Ms Harris.

Twenty resolutions relating to fire protection at sea have been implemented by the International Maritime Organisation since the UK integrated the Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection) Regulations 2003 into UK law. Those resolutions have, for example, updated the requirements for firefighting systems on ships by adding water mist nozzles to onboard sprinkler systems back in 2010. Another resolution, in January 2020, updated the requirements for ease of access to escape routes for ship passengers. A further resolution, in July 2004, updated the requirements for how dangerous and/or flammable goods should be stowed on board. All that will be implemented in UK law by this SI.

The draft regulations will apply to passenger ships engaged on international voyages. They will apply to a small class of passenger ships engaged on domestic voyages and to cargo ships of 500 gross tons and above, as the Minister said, engaged on both international and non-international voyages. They will also apply to sailing ships of 500 gross tons and above and to United Kingdom pleasure vessels of 500 gross tons and above.

We know how dangerous a workplace ships can be. Many carry dangerous or hazardous cargo and large amounts of fuel. They are cramped working environments, despite their size, and the ocean is very unstable. It is vital that we take steps to make those workplaces as safe as we can for all our seafarers, because when things go wrong at sea, escape routes and rescue missions can be as perilous as the fires our seafarers seek to escape.

Just a month ago, a Dutch-flagged vessel caught fire in the gulf of Riga when travelling between Lithuania and Latvia. The fire is thought to have broken out in the engine room, and staff tried valiantly to extinguish the fire. Because of the sheer size of the vessel—named the Escape, as it happens—and the very nature of its load, containers, it was thought that some of the cargo was hazardous. Thankfully, all 15 crew were picked up by a nearby vessel and did indeed escape.

Another recent example, in the last month, was the Felicity Ace, which was a specialist cargo ship carrying more than 4,000 cars that caught alight near the Azores. Again, thankfully, the vessel’s 22 crew members were evacuated, but the fire continued to burn for several days, fuelled by lithium batteries in electric vehicles on board. The rescue of this abandoned ship sadly ended in it sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic. The rescue was going well, but during towing it began to ingress water, lost its stability and sank. Thankfully, its fuel tanks remain intact, although there is no guarantee that that will remain the case, and it could lead to yet another environmental disaster. Thankfully, no souls perished on this occasion. However, there will be environmental damage caused by the incident, and damage to international supply chains will be colossal.

I have met multiple Ministers multiple times to debate such statutory instruments and to discuss elements of these regulations covering a number of safety areas, such as life-saving appliances, bilge pumping and warnings, damage stability, as well as these regulations covering fire protection. I asked some time ago what stage we were at with the delayed maritime legislation. I know the Minister several incarnations ago said he would write to me to update me, but I do not recall receiving that letter. I ask this Minister if he can help with this matter. Our priority must be ensuring that those working at sea or travelling on vessels as covered by the instrument are kept safe from harm. We will therefore not oppose this statutory instrument today.