On the afternoon of August 14th, while the vessel VMAS SUZHOU was loading cargo at Dongjiakou Port, a fire broke out aboard. To extinguish the fire, the crew released all the liquid CO2 from the ship’s 75 cylinders, which left the vessel unable to meet the sailing requirements. The customer immediately reached out to us, requesting refilling of the CO2 cylinders and repairing of the system.
With the vessel scheduled to depart in the afternoon of August 16th, time was critically tight. Upon receiving the urgent request, the safety division of RMS Qingdao branch office promptly responded. The team was made up of engineers who had just returned from a business trip in Weihai, others who had been working all day in the workshop, and even some who had just completed a sea trial for lifeboats.
By 7 PM that evening, all personnel had arrived at Dongjiakou, preparing to disassemble the cylinders overnight and be ready to transport them for refilling as soon as customs clearance was obtained the next day.
However, once on board, the safety engineers discovered that the starboard deck, where the CO2 room was located, was fully loaded with cargo, rendering the ship’s crane unusable. Moreover, the vessel was docked portside, meaning the cylinders would have to be moved manually. Despite the heavy workload and limited manpower, no one backed down. It wasn’t until 2:30 AM that all the cylinders were finally placed in the designated hoisting area.
Early next morning, the safety team began negotiating with the gas station, and after much discussion, they secured permission to deliver the cylinders directly to the station for repairs, bypassing significant loading and unloading delays. The vessel, nearly 20 years old, presented numerous challenges for cylinder repair, but thanks to the team’s tireless efforts, the refilling was completed and all cylinder head valves were repaired by around 6 PM, which is hours ahead of schedule.
Given the complex conditions at the site and the added weight of the refilled cylinders, also because there were few stevedores able to assist with boarding, the entire Qingdao safety team arrived at Dongjiakou by 9 PM. After another sleepless night of intense labor, the team completed the reinstallation of all cylinders and actuation lines and discharge lines by 7 AM on August 16th.
Throughout this two-day-and-night mission, everyone worked in a coordinated and orderly manner, never complaining or retreating. This was especially impressive given the unbearable heat inside the old ship’s CO2 room, which lacked a ventilation system.
From receiving the urgent task to perfectly resolving the issue and ensuring the vessel’s timely and safe departure, the ship’s captain and chief engineer witnessed it all. The customer later sent an email specifically thanking the safety service team for their swift and professional response in such an urgent situation, which not only ensured the safe operation of the vessel but also helped them avoid demurrage losses.