Major fire in the engine room is a nightmare for sea travelers because if it happens, it can cause a complete blackout and the ship would head for collision or may be grounded in the middle of nowhere. You won’t be finding any help out in the middle of the oceans with no electricity to power up the engines and head to the nearest dock. With the radio down, your cell phone might be of assistance in making a distress call, but most of the time out in the ocean, they also malfunction. A major fire in the engine room can burn down the entire ship unless preventive measures have been taken care of.

In case of an engine room fire, the CO2 & marine CO2 systems are the best methods to put the flames to rest before they have completely trashed everything. The chief engineer on the ship gives the go ahead signal for the CO2 to be released whenever required in an engine room or any other place. There have been a lot of deaths in the engine rooms not because of the heat from the fire, but because of the CO2 released in it. This is why the task of releasing the gas has been handed over to the chief in the time of distress.

Since CO2 is known to cut off the supply of oxygen wherever it is present, it is used as oxygen supply repellent in case of fire. When the flames do not get fresh oxygen, they start fading and eventually they are completely put out. It is one of the finest strategies to combat unwanted flames on a ship out in the ocean or on a building on the land. But on the other hand, when people are trapped inside and the CO2 is released, the lack of oxygen in the room causes suffocation and people have lost lives due to it.

CO2 is present in single skinned cylinders that are attached to the fire suppression system. The gas present inside the cylinders allows the system to spray it on the flames when required. But since there are many reasons that can cause a malfunction in the cylinders when it is important to spray the gas on the flames, it is necessary to have the cylinders checked regularly. Using the ultrasonic liquid level indicator the crew can keep a check on the pressure inside the cylinders and also detect a leak if it happens.