North Sea incident underscores value of tug firefighting guide

The 70-page document represents the culmination of 18 months’ work by the BTA’s Technical Committee, with extensive input from global firefighting and fuel experts.

Until now, the industry has lacked a single tome that brings together how to use tugs in a firefighting situation. Companies have based their SMS or ISM company procedures on elements drawn from SIGTTO, the International Chamber of Shipping or the IAMSAR emergency response convention. This initiative represents the first co-ordinated industry effort to share common tug firefighting protocols across the sector, addressing both conventional and emerging risks in a rapidly evolving maritime landscape.

The guide’s development stems from discussions at the 2023 BTA conference in Glasgow, where a panel featuring React Emergency Response’s Dennis Kusters highlighted emerging risks from lithium-ion batteries. The discussion prompted the organisation to reconsider its initial plan to create guidance on future emerging risks for alternatively fuelled vessels in favour of a single work for traditional firefighting first.

Equipment specifications, training requirements, liability frameworks and command structures for both port and maritime firefighting operations will all be covered in the guide. Notably, it delves into the complexities of future fuels and emerging risks - a particularly timely focus following the collision between Solong and Stena Immaculate, which resulted in explosive fires fuelled by jet fuel and heavy ship fuel, highlighting the critical need for specialised maritime firefighting capabilities.

An expert panel will discuss the guide at the Belfast launch, featuring the UK Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Intervention and Salvage Stephan Hennig; founder of Artemas Ruud Plomp; and Boluda Towage Europe chief executive Geert Vandecappelle. The session will explore legal responsibilities, equipment capabilities, competency requirements and command structures, with special attention to firefighting techniques for alternatively fuelled vessels and lithium-ion battery incidents.

The BTA intends to make the guide freely available to the wider maritime industry following the conference, encouraging industrywide adoption of standardised practices. The ambition is to update the work every couple of years.

The conference will also discuss the latest iteration of the globally used UK Standard Conditions for Towage and Other Services (2024), further emphasising the event’s significance for maritime operations. Registration remains open to both BTA members and non-members through the UK Chamber of Shipping website.