Engine room safety

Engine room cleaning on a ship is much like the routine checks we do for our car engines, only the stakes are much higher. Just as checking oil, coolant, and keeping the engine bay clean helps our cars run smoother, spot leaks early, and avoid expensive breakdowns, the same principles apply at sea. In both environments, regular cleaning and inspection prevent overheating, corrosion, and mechanical failure, making it easier to spot issues before they escalate.

The difference is, on a ship, a neglected engine room can threaten not only machinery lifespan and performance, but also crew safety, operational schedules, and regulatory compliance. For ship crew, adopting daily cleaning habits is like treating every routine car engine check as a priority, protecting everyone on board and ensuring smooth, uninterrupted voyages

Engine room cleanliness is not just a routine task; it is a matter of urgent safety and the very survival of ship operations. The risks of neglecting this critical area are severe and cannot be overstated, even a small oil leak or accumulation of waste can spark a fire, quickly turning the vessel’s “heartbeat” into a catastrophic hazard. For shipowners and crews, the stark reality is that most vessel fires originate in the engine room, fueled by oily residues, chemical spills, and poor housekeeping, threatening both lives and multimillion-dollar assets with every overlooked detail.​​

Dirty engine rooms are proven hotspots for major safety incidents. Slippery and greasy decks routinely cause serious slips, trips, and falls, dangers that statistics confirm are the leading causes of maritime injuries and fatalities year after year. Blocked escape routes, jammed doors, and waste buildup do not just inconvenience the crew; they can fatally trap personnel in emergencies and ignite secondary disasters. Port State Control inspectors are increasingly unforgiving, detaining vessels, imposing fines, and scrutinizing shipowners when engine rooms are found wanting cleanliness and compliance.​​

The environmental consequences are equally severe. Polluted bilges, fouled oily water separators, and unchecked leaks escalate the risk of accidental discharge and environmental violations, drawing penalties and reputational damage in a regulatory climate that grows stricter every year. In addition, mechanical failures, reduced heat transfer, increased fuel consumption, and sudden breakdowns plague dirty and neglected engine rooms, jeopardizing schedules, budgets, and long-term vessel viability.​​

The warning is clear, engine room cleanliness is a line of defense that cannot be breached without endangering crew, cargo, the ship, and the marine environment itself. Failing to uphold rigorous cleaning and maintenance standards invites fire, failure, injury, and legal consequences. Every vessel’s future depends on urgent, uncompromising action clean now, or risk everything  

Did you know?

All of our Unitor™ chemicals are standardised

All chemicals are produced in a single location in Tønsberg, Norway. Manufactured to the very highest standards and designed to work within the toughest marine conditions, our standardised product range offers consistent, dependable documented performance, over and over again.

Our range covers the full spectrum of essential cleaning and maintenance tasks on board. But we don’t simply supply high quality products. In every case, our cleaning solutions are backed up by dedicated, single-point customer service, technical support and advice, and a worldwide logistics network.