CMA CGM fits 85 ships with Hydropen container fire fighting systems

Written by Nick Blenkey
Hydropen works by drillinginto container tthen spraying the interior

Hydropen in action. [Image: Viking Life Saving]

Within 18 months of the launch of the innovative Hydropen drill and spray solution for fighting container fires, CMA CGM has installed it on 85 of its ships.

While conventional firefighting solutions dowse containers on the outside, the HydroPen is attached to a standard hose as a combined drill and spray unit that penetrates the container door before extinguishing the fire with water, foam or CO2. Useable on or below deck, a crew member can operate the HydroPen via a telescopic device to fight fires high in the container stack with a minimum of training.

CMA CGM was quick to identify the potential of the system, which is distributed by Viking Life Saving Equipment, immediately after its launch at SMM in 2018. Initial trials were held in Marseille. A second trial took place on the containership CMA CGM T. Roosevelt, with Viking personnel boarding in Los Angeles to provide hands-on testing and training.

HydroPen units have now been delivered to 85 vessels despite COVID-19 challenges.

“Our policies and objectives are to continuously improve our safety performance proactively by setting up new standards and solutions,” says Xavier Leclercq, Vice President, CMA Ships. “Whatever the circumstances, the priority for the CMA CGM Group is the safety of our crews and the goods transported for our clients.”

“When it comes to an expression of confidence in HydroPen, an order of this scale from a carrier of CMA CGM’s stature speaks for itself,” says Dorte Moeskjaer Hansen, Viking Vice President Sales Regions. “For the safety of crew, cargo and the ship itself, container fires are best dealt with on board as quickly as possible, using a system whose true value comes from its being so easy to use.”

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