Watertight doors left open
- Safety Flash
- Published on 6 July 2026
- Generated on 6 July 2026
- IMCA SF 12/26
- 2 minute read
Watertight doors in the Engine Room and fire doors in the accommodation were observed open on several occasions during a management audit.
What happened?
These are critical safety barriers; keeping them open increases the risk of flooding and fire/smoke spread, endangering vessel integrity and crew safety. All watertight and fire doors should be kept closed at all times, except for immediate access, and closed immediately after use.
This is in fact a requirement of SOLAS Chapter II-1, Regulation 22, “watertight doors shall be kept closed during navigation”. In addition, SOLAS Chapter II-2 requires fire doors to be self-closing and kept closed unless fitted with approved automatic closing devices.
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Why did it happen?
- Complacency in routine: Doors were left open following routine engine room rounds or passage to/from accommodation, with repeated opening and closing of the door perceived as unnecessary.
- Lack of awareness: Some crew were not fully aware of SOLAS requirements or indeed of their own company safety management system requirements, nor even of the critical importance of keeping watertight and fire doors closed during navigation.
- Environmental conditions: High temperatures in the Engine Room, accommodation and externally may have led crew to leave watertight and fire doors open to improve ventilation.
Here, difficult environmental conditions made it easy for crew to do things in an unsafe way. How can we make it easy to do things safely?
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