Lack of firefighting skills cited in sinking of Nova Scotia trawler that caught fire

The Transportation Safety Board says the 2021 sinking of a large fishing boat that caught fire off the south coast of Nova Scotia raises broad concerns about the lack of firefighting knowledge among crews in general.

The independent agency released an investigation report Wednesday about the demise of the FV Atlantic Destiny, which had 31 crew members aboard when it was rocked by a catastrophic engine failure that sparked an explosion and fire on March 2, 2021.

No one was injured by the blast and all crew members were safely evacuated from the 43-metre scallop trawler during a harrowing rescue operation in heaving seas about 200 kilometres south of Yarmouth.

The board found that the crew correctly used the vessel’s carbon dioxide fire suppression system to subdue the flames inside the sealed engine room. But investigators determined crew members re-entered the room before the fire was fully extinguished, allowing in oxygen that reignited the blaze.

The board found that crew members were unaware they needed to wait for the space to cool before re-entering, adding that other fires in Canada and worldwide have been reignited in the same way.

In Canada, the use of CO2 fire suppression systems is covered in marine emergency training required by Transport Canada for certain competency certificates. The training, however, was not required for senior deck officers aboard Atlantic Destiny.

“This meant that they had never been formally trained in the use of CO2 fixed fire suppression systems,” the board said in a statement.

“Given several occurrences during which the effectiveness of CO2 was compromised during the fire response, the board is concerned that there is insufficient crew knowledge of the necessary pre- and post-release stages in the use of CO2 fixed fire suppression systems.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024.