BUT, there were plugs in the salon and dining room and many people had phones, laptops, and some battery charging in there. So in that location, this discussion is completely relevant.
And the broader discussion of flammability of finishes and random things left laying around. Regardless of what was the source of ignition, the spread is the bigger concern. For interiors (at least in North America) there are well published regulations for how fast things can burn. Similarly, aircraft cabin interiors, I'm certain, would also have industry-wide standards. I'm curious if there are standards for boats and how much they are applied internationally?
Charging in the salon area only and only during the day.
I disagree.
My feeling is that the Salon is actually a higher risk location - by far. Day or night - It's not uncommon for it to be empty if everyone is in the water and the crew is busy. It's also where the power-bar octopus tends to develop which itself is a risk, particularly when they are the dollar store specials. Most importantly, the salon is often the primary exit path for everyone in many boat designs and is often filled with things made of materials with high flammability.
Dive deck table, with all other sources of combustion removed, should be low risk 24 hours/day with proper/adequate design. Ideally the tables/charging areas would be located further from the Salon exit than is common right now (or, there would be an alternate Salon exit out the front which many boats do have).
On boats with reasonable accommodation arrangements (i.e. not the Conception) and working (ideally centrally monitored) smoke detectors in the cabins the risk of charging your phone in your cabin while you are there is no greater than charging it on your bedside table at home. You're going to notice just as quickly if things go badly and there's likely only one exit path at home as well... and less ventilation. My feeling is that the current policy many boats have of 'no unsupervised charging in cabins' is more than enough for most higher end boats with two people per cabin. Discouraging large format (camera, scooter) charging inside is also reasonable, but banning laptop and phone charging in a occupied cabin seems knee-jerk and not well supported by the evidence at hand.
In reality, second to outside on the dive deck - in many boat designs the second best place to have a fire (so far as 'guest areas' goes) is probably in one of the cabins. As long as it is detected and alarmed the cabin door will be more than enough to keep it isolated for the few minutes it takes for everyone else to evacuate.
The focus needs to be on data, not emotion. Some better choices may be counter-intuitive and not easily captured by blanket rules/prohibitions. For example, anytime a laptop is plugged in it is technically 'charging' - so long as there is a person with it using it I would declare it as plenty safe whether in a cabin or not. A blanket ban on charging in an area does not capture that. Similarly, on a sprinklered vessel with a central alarm system an unsupervised interior charging location is probably not an exceptional risk (i.e. the robust indoor camera rooms that exist on some SE Asia boats).
The only significant risk areas we have so far that are supported by data are:
- Unsupervised batteries/devices - link to charging currently a reasonable assumption (Conception definitely, RSA1 probably)
- Sources of ignition and sustaining fuel along exit paths; blocked exit paths
These are a bit more specific than 'Batteries on boats = scary & bad'.
On land many fire regulations focus much more on exit paths and containment rather than outright prevention. I would suggest the same approach on boats. We're still talking a very, very, very rare occurrence - no need to go all 'bubble boy' on every aspect of design and procedures. Just enough to ensure survivability in the vast majority of cases should be the the target threshold (and an achievable goal). I would also suggest 100% survivability is not realistic at the price points boats currently sail for....
