Hot work failures led to fire on Aleutian Falcon

The Aleutian Falcon moored before the fire
The Aleutian Falcon moored before the fire

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published a report about a fire on the commercial fish processor Aleutian Falcon while the vessel was docked for repairs at the Trident Seafoods shipyard in Tacoma, Washington.

Firefighting crews from the Tacoma Fire Department responded, and the fire was extinguished four days later. No one was on board the vessel at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries reported. An estimated 20–30 gallons of hydraulic oil leaked into the water but were captured by a containment boom. Continue reading “Hot work failures led to fire on Aleutian Falcon”

Parametric rolling responsible for Maersk Essen loss of containers says DMAIB report

Parametric rolling is the suspected cause of the loss of containers from Maersk Essen. Photo credit: DMAIB
Parametric rolling is the suspected cause of the loss of containers from Maersk Essen. Photo credit: DMAIB

The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) has published its report on Maersk Essen, the ship that lost approximately 250 containers on 16 January 2021 while the ship was en route from China to Los Angeles. The number of lost containers was later adjusted to 750.

At approximately 0600, some of the crew were woken by the sound of cups and laptops sliding and falling off tables in their cabins as the ship took a few heavy, slow rolls. On the bridge, the chief officer saw from the inclinometer that the ship had rolled 15° to each side. The Continue reading “Parametric rolling responsible for Maersk Essen loss of containers says DMAIB report”

Investigation report resulted in fatality onboard SEOUL EXPRESS

Sling construction for evacuation via the access hatch on Seoul Express (simulated on 19/10/2021). Photo credit: BSU
Sling construction for evacuation via the access hatch on Seoul Express (simulated on 19/10/2021). Photo credit: BSU

The German Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation published its interim investigation report (BSU report) about an accident with subsequent loss of life on board the Containership SEOUL EXPRESS, on 27 March 2021. On 27 March 2021, the container ship SEOUL EXPRESS was about 52 nm off the Mexican coast en route from Manzanillo, Mexico, to Long Beach, USA. The vessel was operating on a liner service between various ports in the Mediterranean, Central America and the west coast of North America. Continue reading “Investigation report resulted in fatality onboard SEOUL EXPRESS”

Incorrect solution aboard tanker led to $7M in property damage

Start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock
Start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock

The National Transportation Safety Board published a report of an incident during which an incorrect solution to address a main engine start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock in the Port of Corpus Christi. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $550,000, while the estimated property damage to the facility was $7M.

On March 15, 2021, at 10:18, two pilots from Aransas-Corpus Christi Pilots boarded the Riverside to assist with maneuvering the vessel out of the port. Continue reading “Incorrect solution aboard tanker led to $7M in property damage”

Mooring buoy failure caused grounding causing damage of $4.5M reveals NTSB report

SM-3 mooring buoy: failed padeye (with three shackles) that separated from buoy (left), damaged top with padeye missing (center), and undamaged bottom padeye (right). (Source: Alaska Marine Surveyors and Northline Seafoods).
SM-3 mooring buoy: failed padeye (with three shackles) that separated from buoy (left), damaged top with padeye missing (center), and undamaged bottom padeye (right). (Source: Alaska Marine Surveyors and Northline Seafoods).

The fatigue failure of an unrated mooring buoy led to the grounding of a fishing tender during a storm near Bristol Bay, Alaska in 2020, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

On August 30, 2020, the fishing tender barge SM-3 broke free from its mooring buoy in a storm and went aground. No injuries were reported, but the vessel sustained $4.5 million in damage and left a three-mile-long debris field scattered along the waterfront. Continue reading “Mooring buoy failure caused grounding causing damage of $4.5M reveals NTSB report”

Unfortunate events led to oil spill on deck

Britannia PandI club has been recently made aware of an oil spill on deck
Britannia P&I club has been recently made aware of an oil spill on deck

Britannia P&I Club recently became aware of an incident where a number of unfortunate events, including the fall of the vessel’s spare main engine cylinder liner, led to an oil spill on deck.

A ballasted crude oil tanker arrived at its load port early in the morning and contacted the local Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) who instructed the vessel to drift ten nautical miles off the coast to await berthing. The vessel’s main engine was kept on ten minutes’ notice and used to occasionally reposition the ship while drifting. The following night the wind picked up with reported gusts of up to 60 knots and the master decided to use the main engine to counter the heavy rolling. Continue reading “Unfortunate events led to oil spill on deck”

Engine fault due to effect of low-sulphur fuel on injection control unit says report

Coking debris found in the cavity on the fuel oil side of the servo piston. Photo credit: TAIC
Coking debris found in the cavity on the fuel oil side of the servo piston due to low-sulphur fuel Photo credit: TAIC

A Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report reveals that the Singapore-flagged ship Funing had been unable to generate full power because a fuel injector control unit (ICU) had suffered fuel leakage and become clogged with coking debris from the use of low-viscosity low-sulphur fuel.

On 5 July 2020, the log carrier Funing finished loading its cargo at the Port of Tauranga and began preparations for departure. At about 2200 the officer of the watch contacted the engineers and informed them that departure was planned for midnight. When the main engine was tested in the astern direction, the main engine fault log indicated there was a fuel injection quantity piston failure. The engineering team attempted to rectify the fault but were unable to before the vessel departed its berth at about 0018, when the fault reoccurred again Continue reading “Engine fault due to effect of low-sulphur fuel on injection control unit says report”

Operators with LPG systems must be aware of appliances listed

A gas burner switched on
A gas burner switched on

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has released details of an investigation into an incident where the owner and their son were seriously injured in an explosion in the galley of their houseboat due to the LPG systems stove ignitor igniting a gas leak.

On 30 June 2021, a class 4E domestic commercial vessel houseboat used for recreational purposes was at anchor in the backchannel of a Northern NSW river. The owner and their son were onboard and the owner was preparing dinner in the galley at the starboard aft end of the main cabin.

The owner attempted to light a gas-powered stove by a piezo ignition switch when a blast explosion took place causing catastrophic Continue reading “Operators with LPG systems must be aware of appliances listed”

Fire on a motor cruiser exposes possible shortcomings in Irish pleasure craft legislation

Possible shortcomings in Irish pleasure craft legislation exposed by fire
Possible shortcomings in Irish pleasure craft legislation exposed by fire

An investigation by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) into a fire onboard a motor cruiser on the River Shannon in Ireland has exposed possible shortcomings in Irish legislation governing the safety of pleasure craft.

On 6 September 2020, four people set out in X4, a Linssen Grand Sturdy 35.0 motor cruiser rented from boat hire service, Carrickcraft. After around 45 minutes a fire broke out in the engine compartment. The passengers, who had been given training in emergency responses, donned lifejackets and telephoned the Carrickcraft base, from which an emergency crew was immediately dispatched. Gardaí Continue reading “Fire on a motor cruiser exposes possible shortcomings in Irish pleasure craft legislation”

Lack of risk assessment contributes to sinking of FV Aztec

FV Aztec
FV Aztec

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board of Ireland (MCIB) has published its report on the sinking of FV Aztec, which took place off Duncannon on 11 January 2021.

The FV Aztec sailed from Duncannon Pier, Co. Wexford to fish sprat in Waterford Estuary alongside its paired trawler the “FV Western Dawn”. There was no risk assessment or method statement for this type of fishing arrangement included in the vessel’s safety statement.

The FV Aztec shot its net first and hauled fish at 09.30 hrs. These fish were stowed in pounds in the fish hold divided by boards. It was Continue reading “Lack of risk assessment contributes to sinking of FV Aztec”

New one-shot publication from IIMS: 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium

IIMS 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium
IIMS 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium

The International Institute of Marine Surveying has published a special new one-shot, 100-page publication, entitled the IIMS 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium.

Download the compendium: 2021 Safety Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium

The broad aim of this compendium is to showcase incident and accident reports, and loss prevention measures/guidance that were issued in 2021, all easily accessible in one pdf document. Much of the content is distressing and covers carnage, destruction and sadly deaths. This new publication is an essential reference resource for any marine surveyor’s online library as well as those whose work touches the surveying profession and for the wider maritime world. The many links in the publication are clickable, meaning readers can easily access more details about an item of particular interest.

Introductions by Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention at Standard P&I Club and Geoff Waddington, IIMS President, add informative and valuable context to the publication. Continue reading “New one-shot publication from IIMS: 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium”

Fatality on lifeboat caused by damaged release cable

Damaged release cable - Photo credit: DNV
Photo credit: DNV

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued its report from its investigation into a fatality on lifeboat on Shell’s Auger tension leg platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in 2019.

The incident took place during a routine lifeboat launch and retrieval drill on June 30, 2019. Two people inside the lifeboat were killed when it fell 80 feet, landing upside down in the water. Another person, who was exiting the lifeboat when it released, was seriously injured.

According to the report, the aft hook on the Auger platform’s Lifeboat No. 6 inadvertently opened as the lifeboat was being winched into the davit following the drill. “The lifeboat, still hanging from the forward hook, swung in a pendulum motion away from the facility. A few Continue reading “Fatality on lifeboat caused by damaged release cable”

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