Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum publishes Fire Drill Guidelines for vehicle carriers

The Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum (VCSF) has published new Fire Drill Guidelines for Vehicle Carrying Vessels, providing vessel operators with a structured framework for developing and conducting fire response drills on board vehicle carriers. The guidance is intended to help strengthen operational readiness, decision-making and coordination when responding to a fire.

The new guidelines build on the VCSF’s Fire Response – High Level Guidelines, published in April 2025. The earlier guidance was developed to assist vessel operators and crews prepare for the challenges presented by vehicle fires and to support operators in developing their own fire response policies and procedures, with particular emphasis on the early use of existing fixed firefighting systems.

The latest guidance takes this a step further by focusing on how those principles can be put into practice through onboard drills. Emphasis is placed on rapid confirmation of a fire, fast muster, safe deployment of crew and the early and correct use of fixed firefighting systems to help prevent a fire from escalating.

The guidelines are principle-based rather than prescriptive, recognising the considerable variation in vessel design, equipment, cargo configuration and trade. They do not seek to provide detailed ship-specific procedures; instead, they provide a framework that operators can adapt to their own vessels and operations. The guidelines also recognise that emerging technologies or systems should be incorporated where they are available on board.

For Members operating vehicle-carrying vessels, effective drills provide an important opportunity to test preparedness and reinforce familiarity with ship-specific fire response arrangements. Members are therefore encouraged to review the new guidelines alongside their existing fire response procedures and consider how the principles can be incorporated into ship-specific training and drills, as well as their Safety Management System.

 

About the Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum

The VCSF brings together vessel operators, insurers and industry experts with the aim of promoting safety on vehicle carriers and at the ship/shore interface. Initiated in 2020, the Forum has produced a series of industry good practice guidelines addressing vehicle carrier safety.

 

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2025 guidance

2024 guidance