Fires on board ships occur rarely. At the same time, the rescue services’ MIRG teams (Maritime Incident Response Group) must always be prepared for the possibility. A new pre-study conducted by Lighthouse has taken a closer look at whether Swedish MIRG capability is sufficient and whether it has developed in step with changing conditions over time.

MIRG was established following the fire on the Scandinavian Star in 1990, in which 159 people lost their lives on the route between Oslo and Frederikshavn. The service is organized by the Swedish Maritime Administration but carried out by municipal fire and rescue services. In recent years, MIRG teams have been involved in the fires on Almirante Storni (2021) and Stena Scandica (2022).

“The existence of MIRG reflects a difficult question that recurs in many parts of society: how do we assess the value of an investment intended to protect us against events that occur very rarely, but can have extremely serious consequences when they do occur? When a distress signal comes from a burning vessel, someone must respond, and there must be a well-prepared organization with the right conditions to carry out a rescue operation,” says Staffan Bram of RISE, one of the authors of the report Safety at Sea: A Pre-study on Swedish MIRG Service Capacity and Development.

The pre-study, initiated by the industry organization Swedish Shipowners’ Association (Svensk Sjöfart), examined potential gaps between current and desired MIRG capability, with the aim of identifying areas where further research and development are needed. This is a key issue for the association’s members; the Nordic region is particularly exposed in a MIRG context, with many large passenger ferries where a fire can rapidly lead to very severe consequences.

“In the study, we brought together all stakeholders who are either part of MIRG or affected by its operations, and highlighted their shared view of MIRG’s status and development needs. This was done through three workshops.”

Participants in the workshops agreed that MIRG is an important service that should be maintained in the future. At the same time, a number of challenges and development opportunities were identified.

“First, MIRG’s function, expected capacity, and target level have never been formalized in regulations or instructions. This makes organizational development more difficult and leaves room for criticism, since there is no clear reference point against which to measure performance,” says Staffan Bram.

Today, MIRG is organized by three fire and rescue services: Greater Stockholm Fire Brigade, Greater Gothenburg Rescue Service, and Rescue Service South (Räddningstjänsten Syd).

How well does this work?

“That depends on which yardstick you use. Originally, MIRG units were located in several places across Sweden, which naturally had a positive impact on response times. Today, the units are positioned in southern Sweden, reflecting shipping traffic patterns—but there is also significant maritime traffic in the northern Baltic Sea. Shipping companies operating in these areas therefore expressed some hesitation regarding MIRG’s ability to respond quickly to fires on board their vessels. Previously, for example, units existed in Kramfors and Härnösand.”

Other development needs identified in the pre-study span multiple levels. On the practical and operational side, there is a need to review equipment as well as communication and information-sharing technology, both within MIRG and between other actors involved in response operations. There is also a need to review how MIRG teams train—both internally and together with other maritime stakeholders—and to what extent international training with other countries is conducted.

“In both the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea, it is quite likely that a burning vessel will require response efforts from several countries,” says Staffan Bram.

From an organizational perspective, there is a need to clarify MIRG’s level of ambition and the objectives it should pursue.

“To do that, you need to understand the risks MIRG faces during operations. That requires a risk analysis—something that has not been conducted for a very long time. The risk landscape has changed, and much will change in shipping, not least when it comes to fuels. So what will the risks look like in ten years?”

Staffan Bram and his colleagues will explore this in greater depth in a follow-up project. Several of the other areas highlighted in the pre-study will also be pursued, such as the development of training methods for MIRG and improvements in information sharing during response operations.

“We also hope, of course, that the Swedish Maritime Administration and other involved actors can use the pre-study report as a foundation for further development of MIRG,” says Staffan Bram.

The report Safety at Sea: A Pre-study on Swedish MIRG Service Capacity and Development was authored by:
Staffan Bram, RISE
Gesa Praetorius, VTI
Oskar Grönlund, RISE
Roshni Pramanik, RISE