Maersk will implement HydroPen container firefighting solution fleet wide

HydroPen drills through container door then injects firefighting spray

Container shipping giant A.P. Moller – Maersk has opted for full-scale implementation of Viking Life-Saving Equipment’s HydroPen drill-and-spray solution for fighting container fires. It has placed an order that will see HydroPen systems delivered to its entire fleet of owned vessels.

Designed for direct firefighting in stacked containers onboard commercial vessels, the HydroPen is driven purely by water pressure through an attached deck fire hose. When water pressure is activated, a turbine will drive the HydroPen drilling unit until it penetrates the container door, whereupon the system will spray water into the container to extinguish the fire directly at the source.

In the case of a fire at height in the container stack, the HydroPen system can be deployed using a telescopic device. In addition to water, the system is compatible with foam or CO2.

“From having been involved in the early development phases to fully implementing the HydroPen system, A.P. Moller – Maersk has once again shown its uncompromising commitment to go beyond industry standards, to protect both its crews and its clients’ cargo and assets” said Viking’s Anders Nørgaard Lauridsen, senior country director, Baltic Sea.

“Our experience has been that, once a leading container line appreciates the effectiveness of HydroPen as a firefighting tool, fleetwide adoption generally follows,” said Viking product manager Lasse Boesen comments. “Also, it has been winning plaudits ever since its launch in 2019 and, today, HydroPen is preferred by the most well-known names in container shipping for extinguishing fires in the stack.”

In addition to the merits of the system itself, the flexibility to train crew onboard ship or online is attractive to “top-tier” customers, with digital training offered through the Viking Safety Academy platform.

The online HydroPen training option was chosen by a panel of judges as insurance mutual TT Club’s Innovation in Safety award winner earlier this year.