Fire constitutes a significant threat in the maritime sector, since a fire on board a vessel must be handled and limited locally without losing seaworthiness and manoeuvrability. External support cannot be counted on, so the vessels have to be self-reliant. Ship disasters have revealed lacks in the used measures, and SP Fire Research has been a significant contributor in documenting the effect of measures against fire.
An important turning point happened after the Scandinavian Star disaster in 1990. RISE Fire Research took part in the investigation of the fires on board, and reconstructed what was the origin of the catastrophic fire. Later, we have contributed significantly to the development and documentation of active firefighting systems with water mist for shipboard use, both in public spaces and machinery spaces.
We offer fire testing of materials, constructions and extinguishing systems for marine applications.