View non-flash version
SAFETY AT SEA KEEP COOL: The heat- dampening properties of Pyrocool allowed salvage teams to engage in close- quarters firefighting. The tanker Nassia after a raging fire was extinguished — thanks in part to Pyrocool, a new firefighting agent employed by Smit Tak. Leading salvor Smit International has revised its marine firefighting tactics to take advantage of the unusual properties of a new firefighting agent known as Pyrocool FEF. Beyond applications for salvage, other end uses are under active investigation, including the use of Pyrocool for accommodation and engine room firefighting systems of advanced specifica- tion. Smit International has acquired exclusive rights to use Pyrocool products for marine sal- vage purposes. In March of 1994, a Smit Tak salvage team gave a demonstration of the new agent's properties when fighting the huge blaze onboard the tanker Nassia. This accident was severe enough to close the Bosporus, one of the world's busiest waterways. Hundreds of ships were delayed, and they may have waited longer but for Pyrocool. A much shorter period of preliminary seawater cooling was required, as Pyrocool itself cools as it extin- guishes. The Smit Tak salvage teams applied Japanese Newbuild Features Pump-Jet Bowthruster To Aid Safety ft Maneuverability Japanese shipping company Shigeyoshi Akita commissioned the motor coaster No. 3 Tetsuryu-Maru in late 1994, a 626-ton vessel which is equipped with a Schottel SPJ 57 T Pump-Jet bowthruster. No. 3 Tetsuryu-Maru was built at Shinwa Sangyo Co. Ltd. and measures Motor coaster No. 3 Tetsuryu-Maru before its launch. General arrangement drawing of the MS Sumiho-Maru. 52 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News New Firefighting Agent Allows Close-Quarters Firefighting just 1,800 liters of Pyrocool FEF in 12.5 minutes to extinguish one of the worst fires in recent years. Pyrocool's most unusual property is its ability to achieve an immediate and major reduc- tion in fire site temperatures. This permits very close-quarters firefighting—within a few meters of large crude oil fires. Pyrocool owes its genesis to a defense requirement in the U.S. It was developed, in coordination with the U.S. Air Force, to combat extremely volatile hydrocarbon fires. Independent tests and operational experience have reportedly revealed a performance exceed- ing conventional foams. Smit Tak has already stockpiled Pyrocool at strategic locations in Eu- rope, the U.S. and Asia. For more information on Pyrocool Circle 54 on Reader Service Card
