ClassNK Releases Guidance on Evacuation of Vehicle Carriers

ClassNK has released guidance to assist in the safe evacuation of crew members from vehicle carriers in the event of a cargo hold fire. Additionally, the world’s first notation, AMEVC(EV), has been established to indicate vessels equipped with additional measures to facilitate safe evacuation.

Vehicle carriers often have accommodation areas and life-saving equipment, such as lifeboats and liferafts, positioned above cargo holds, with ventilation ducts for the holds located close to the accommodation spaces. As a result, flames and smoke from a cargo hold fire can affect these critical areas and evacuation routes, posing evacuation challenges and potentially compromising crew safety.

In collaboration with shipping companies and shipyards, ClassNK has compiled the risks and countermeasures for evacuation from vehicle carriers during fires in the ‘Risk Assessment related to the Safe Escape from a Car Carrier.’ It covers various risks, including thermal effects, and suggests countermeasures such as spraying water on the decks, installing thermal insulation under lifeboats, and adding evacuation equipment to the forward mooring decks.

ClassNK has also set out requirements for granting notations to vessels equipped with additional evacuation measures tailored to each vessel’s layout, and issued the ‘Guidelines for the Safe Transportation of Electric Vehicles (Edition 2.0).’ The first edition focused on the characteristics of EV fires and fire response measures such as detection and prevention of fire spread, along with notation requirements for vessels implementing these measures. In the latest edition, new insights on evacuation have been added, making the guidelines more comprehensive.