HydroPen: Container firefighting system

Technology

November 2022 Safety

Published on 03 Nov 2022

Bernhard Schulte (BS) decided to provide all their container ships with the Viking 52 HydroPen container firefighting system. Larger ships will receive two such systems while small ships will receive one. The main objective is to improve the ships’ ability to fight container fires, both at source and at height.

HydroPen is a drill-and-spray solution for fighting container fires. The system is driven by water pressure through an attached deck fire hose. When water pressure is activated, a turbine will drive the HydroPen drilling unit until it penetrates the container door. The system will then spray water into the container to extinguish the fire directly at the source.

The system can be deployed at heights up to and including the fourth standard ISO container above the main deck or upper lashing bridge. In addition to water, the system is compatible with foam or CO2.

System overview

  • HydroPen drilling unit: This consists of a water driven turbine, hole saw (drill) and a mounting. structure. The unit is lifted by a telescopic pole to the burning container and automatically connects to the door.
  • Lift System / telescopic pole with winch: To hoist the HydroPen to reach stacked containers up to a height of 12.5 m. It consists of a telescopic pole with a winch at the bottom and a hook with a block wheel at the top. Once the hook of the lift is connected on the lashing bar of the container, the winch is used to hoist the HydroPen to the top of the lift.
  • Hydrolock: An add-on device enabling the use of HydroPen drilling unit on reachable containers at deck / lashing bridge / and cargo hold level without the telescopic pole.
Mounting the hook in the right position

Operating instructions

  1. Remove the covers from the lift.
  2. Release the winch drum.
  3. Adjust the lift (telescopic pole) to the desired height and tighten the locks.
  4. Raise the lift vertically and mount the hook at the utmost locking bar as high as possible on the container door. Turn the hook until it falls into place behind the locking bar on the container. Make sure the surface where the hook is mounted is flat and without indentation.
  5. Adjust the winch to the correct working position and activate the break.
  6. Connect the fire hose to the hydrant and the other end of hose to the HydroPen.
  7. Connect the HydroPen to the wire using the carabiner.
  8. Hoist the HydroPen firmly upwards until it reaches the top of the lift where it will lock into place.
  9. Walk away from the area and turn on the water slowly. The unit will penetrate and guide the water into the burning container.

* Refer to the manufacturer’s manual / video for detailed instructions.

Maintenance routines

After every use with salt water or at six monthly intervals, clean and grease the internal surfaces of the winch. Refer to the ship’s PMS for more details.

Training and familiarisation

Familiarise the crew within two weeks from delivery of the HydroPen on board. Thereafter, train all crew on joining ship and periodically during drills on:

  • Rigging up the equipment on a container using ships fire line and hose connection.
  • Connecting the foam inductor for operating the HydroPen with foam.
  • Connecting the Hydro CO2 and portable CO2 extinguishers to simulate operation of the HydroPen with CO2.
  • Using the HydroPen with Hydrolock on reachable containers.

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Note: A dummy drill is provided for training purposes to operate with water without drilling into the container. However, if used with SW, the drilling unit and the lift system must be flushed with FW and the winch internal surfaces cleaned and greased.

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