MSC Flaminia
Press Realease # 8
MSC Flaminia is a floating logistic warehouse. Its counterpart ground project would be subject to the Seveso Directive with strict regulation concerning construction and organizational requirements; such as fireproof walls, isolation distances between classes of hazardous materials, an internal organisation plan, a specific response plan including the intervention of external emergency resources. Fires in Seveso type plants on land requires the evacuation of people and the implementation of safety measures touching on the consumption of food produced in a perameter that can sometimes range quite far.
Furthermore, The fire of MSC Flaminia produced atmospheric pollution that has not been measured yet, despite what may think the everlasting experts of dilution, has an impact on the health and development of aquatic organisms. The fire raged from July 14th to July 20th , while the smoldering fires in containers lasted at least until 24 August.
Hazardous materials are classified by international regulations applicable to all states and all transportation modes into 9 classes.
MSC Flaminia officially carried:
– Class 3 flammable liquids. It must be taken into account that when flammable materials are burned, they emit toxic fumes. 33 containers.
Example: nitromethane, intermediate materials of perfumery, paints, etc.
– Class 2 compressed, liquefied or dissolved under pressure gases. 2 containers of Class 2.1 (flammable gas), 14 containers of Class 2.2 (flammable gas), and 1 container 2.3 (poisonous gas). Example: aerosol bomb and methyl bromide with less than 2% chloropicrin.
– Class 4.1, Flammable solids. 1 container.
– Class 4.2, substances liable to spontaneous combustion. 3 containers. Example: phosphorus.
– Class 4.3, Substances evolving flammable gas on contact with water. 1 container: Sodium
– Class 6.1, substances toxic to humans. 18 containers. Examples: soluble compound of lead, butyronitrile.
– Class 8 corrosive materials that attack skin, mucous membranes or eyes and can cause damage to cargo transport. 34 containers.
– Class 9, it covers substances and objects that might represent health and environmental “risks different from those of other classes.” It includes, for example, asbestos, PCBs, lithium batteries, material with flammable vapors. 42 containers. Examples: polystyrene granules, air-bag gas. 2 containers of PCB.
Classes of hazardous materials are not strictly seperated. Liquids classified as flammable as well as flammable solids can be also toxic; the gas can be toxic (eg. methyl bromide containing chloropicrin). The materials in class 9, such as polystyrene granules can also be dispersed in the environment and represent a direct threat for feeding.
The number of containers set out to sea at the time of the initial explosion is unknown.
Hazardous materials onboard MSC Flaminia.
=> List of hazardous materials onboard MSC Flaminia – Source Maritime Bulletin (pdf)
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