The Isle of Man Registry plans to send safety recommendations following the August 2017 fertiliser fire aboard Bibby Line's 57,000-dwt bulker Cheshire (built 2012).
The Red Ensign Group member investigated a fire involving ammonium nitrate-based fertiliser (ANBF) that rendered the the ship a "constructive total loss" (CTL).
The ANBF began to decompose early in its voyage from Norway to Thailand, the UK's Maritime & Coastguard Agency said.
The crew tried to stop the reaction but a toxic gas emission forced the ship's abandonment while an ensuing fire caused extensive damage to the ship.
The report recommends changing the fertiliser's bulk cargo shipping name to "ANBF (not otherwise classified) from "ANBF (non-hazardous).
It also proposes checking for cargo hold hot-spots before loading ANBF and writing ANBF safety protocols for tracking measurements and emergency information in material safety data sheets.
We all need to have a better understanding of the hazards that led to this incident so that we can work towards reducing the risk," Isle of Man Registry director Dick Welsh said.
The recommendations will be given this week to the IMO's sub-committee for the carriage of cargoes and containers.
The report says that hull underwriters took the decision to declare the vessel a CTL at the turn of the year because “cost effective repairs could not be carried out”.
