ON fire and adrift

[Lee Stewart]

Originally Posted by 70 copo

Well let’s look at the facts.

It is a class D Fire. These fires involve combustible metals so extinguishing agents may react with a combustible metal fire causing the severity of the fire to increase.

If it burns itself out then the Law of Salvage can be applied:


The vessel must be in peril, either immediate or forthcoming; the "salvor" must be acting voluntarily and under no pre-existing contract; and the salvor must be successful in their efforts, though payment for partial success may be granted if the environment is protected.

Who is going to authorize that risk?

The ship is currently a maritime hazard and is an environmental menace. Unless the fire is out nobody will allow the ship to dock. It is an explosion hazard.

Because the fires will need to be smothered to extinguish-access to the burning parts of the ship and the logistics of the recovery would be literally epic and would risk life to do so.

The best and safest way to end this and save the environment - is to sink it.

The owner of the ship has already contracted with tow boats from a Netherlands company to go get the ship. On board will be fire experts to deal with the fire.