Transport Malta reports of an engine room fire aboard a chemical tanker.
The Incident
Whilst the tanker was manoeuvring towards the designated anchorage area, off St. Eustatius, a fire broke out in the engine-room, in the vicinity of diesel generator no. 2. The crew members evacuated the engine-room, following which, the fire was extinguished using the vessel’s fixed firefighting system. While none of the crew members were injured, the vessel sustained significant damages, which took more than three months to repair.
The safety investigation concluded that diesel oil sprayed out from a connection on diesel generator no. 2’s fuel filter assembly, due to a damaged Oring, and ignited after coming into contact with hot surfaces.
Safety actions taken
Taking into consideration the safety actions taken by the vessel’s managers, no recommendations have been made.
Following this occurrence, the Company took the below listed safety actions:
- the Company’s attending superintendent conducted a meeting with all crew members on board the tanker, to address maintenance, condition assessments of equipment and emergency preparedness;
- the condition of all fuel and lubricating oil lines in the engine-room was thoroughly verified;
- protection cover guards were fabricated and installed in way of the differential pressure indicator and the fuel filter assembly, for each of the three D/Gs;
- the initial inspection findings were immediately shared with the sister vessel of the tanker, to check and replace the seal and similarly install cover guards to protect against an oil leak/spray from the differential pressure indicator;
- the lessons learnt from this occurrence were promulgated to its fleet;
- a fire risk assessment campaign was conducted across its fleet, specifically addressing correct and effective placement of secondary anti-splash protection; and
- the Company’s quarterly safety campaign for the first quarter of 2022 addressed fire safety, to raise awareness and understanding among all its seafarers and to engage them in active participation to prevent fires on board.
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Source: Transport Malta
