Crane cab fire caused by fridge

  • Safety Flash
  • Published on 19 March 2025
  • Generated on 14 February 2026
  • IMCA SF 05/25
  • 1 minute read

On a vessel alongside, there was a fire in the cab of a crane.

What happened?

At 03:52 the fire alarm panel on the bridge sounded, displaying an indication that fire detection within the crane cab had activated. There were no work tasks being conducted on the crane at the time of the alarm. Two team members were sent to investigate. Upon accessing the crane cab platform, the attending riggers confirmed there was a fire within the crane cab.

The fire was confined to the crane cab, which was destroyed. The incident is suspected to have originated from an electrical fault within the small refrigerator located in the cab.

During the incident, the challenge of accessing the area with firefighting equipment was identified as a significant issue.

Members may wish to check small appliances of this nature that may be left powered in an unsupervised place for long periods and identify areas where access with emergency equipment may be restricted.

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