| Incident | : Oil Spill due to Hydraulic Hose rupture |
| Casualty | : None |
| Pollution | : 500 ml of hydraulic oil spilled into the sea |
The vessel was at port and the ship’s crane was used to lift packaging and general stores from the jetty. A hydraulic hose ruptured which triggered a low-pressure alarm with subsequent halt in lifting operation. Upon investigation, it was noted that one of the hydraulic hoses ruptured and caused an oil spill. The majority of the hydraulic oil (20 litres) landed on the deck but approximately 500 ml of oil went into the sea.
The ship staff replaced the ruptured hose and started the lifting operations again.
The next day, there was another hydraulic hose rupture on a similar location after which an ‘all-stop’ was instigated. This time, the oil was spilt to the main deck below and well contained. The Ship Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) kit was used to remove the oil spill on the deck. This time, the ship’s staff informed all relevant authorities and investigated the real reason for repetitive hydraulic hose rupture.
Findings:
- The ruptured hose suffered dreadful corrosion.
- The design or assembly of the hydraulic fittings had allowed water to accumulate around the neck of the fittings.
- The accumulated water is an inevitable reason for such corrosions and ruptures of the hose.
- Also, the other hoses on board were found akin.
Reason:
Four months prior to the incident, the vessel crew and a third-party contractor inspected the vessel crane hydraulic hoses The present investigations reveal that the ‘denso’ tape around the hose was not removed by the crew and contractor. As a result, the corrosion was not evident.
Actions Taken:
- Badly corroded hoses were identified and replaced immediately.
- An inquest into the reason of the incident: why the inspecting parties failed to determine the corrosion during their inspection.
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Source: IMCA
