Figure 9: MV „S“: condition of ship and cargo (cotton bales and cotton yarns) after docking

Two ships collided in the English Channel. The collision caused considerable damage to the MV „S.“. The cargo, which consisted primarily of cotton bales and cotton yarns, immediately caught fire as a result of external ignition. The fire could not be brought under control with the fully operational fire extinguishers (CO₂ foam). The ship was brought aground and the holds were flooded. The fire was „completely“ extinguished with the help of the shore-based fire service. Lighter-unloading operations immediately began, during which the cotton bales once again caught fire· This just goes to show how tenacious smoldering cotton fires can be. To this constant risk of fire was added swelling of the bales, which had occurred in the meantime and which hampered the extinguishing operation considerably. Cotton cloth bales, which had not burned, but which had been damaged by seawater, exhibited considerable decomposition phenomena and a marked increase in odor.