(Mars 201913) A passenger vessel was proceeding at a speed of about 12 kt using only the starboard main engine.
As edited from official Bahamas Maritime report of 7 July 2018
The port main engine had been stopped because the vessel could make the required speed without it being on line. Early in the morning a main engine booster pump lowpressure alarm sounded on the engine monitoring system, followed quickly by the starboard main engine fuel oil low-pressure alarm.
A summary investigation revealed that there was a large fuel leak on the aft end of the inboard cylinder bank of the starboard main engine.
Very quickly smoke was observed in the vicinity of the starboard main engine. The engine room fire alarm was activated and the fire was reported to the bridge. The engine was immediately stopped using the emergency stop. The fire team assembled, passengers were roused and a mayday message was sent. Boundary cooling was initiated and the temperatures of the bulkheads were evaluated.
Although all four sprinkler system supply pumps were running and the manifold pressure was at working pressure the manifolds for the release zones were showing zerobar pressure, which meant that none of the sprinklers for the zones had been activated.
The release solenoid valves were then operated manually. After a period of time, bulkhead temperatures had decreased considerably and it was soon observed that the fire was extinguished.
An investigation was started and it was found that the top bolt of the fuel inlet pipe was missing from one of the fuel pumps.
It is highly probable that the bolt worked loose because of the vibration of the engine, which may have been a result of the bolt being incorrectly torqued in the first instance. Fuel had then made contact with a hot surface and ignited.
Lessons Learned
- Fixed fire suppression systems work well… when they work. In this case, the zone sprinklers had to be manually activated, which gave more time for the fire to grow. Boundary cooling and cool heads will always work.
MARS Reports
This is one of the February MARS Reports that are part of Report Number 316. A selection of this Report has also been published in SWZ|Maritime’s March issue.
Acknowledgement
Through the kind intermediary of The Nautical Institute we gratefully acknowledge sponsorship provided by:
American Bureau of Shipping, AR Brink & Associates, Britannia P&I Club, Cargill, Class NK, DNV, Gard, IHS Fairplay Safety at Sea International, International Institute of Marine Surveying, Lairdside Maritime Centre, London Offshore Consultants, MOL Tankship Management (Europe) Ltd, Noble Denton, North of England P&I Club, Sail Training International, Shipowners Club, The Marine Society and Sea Cadets, The Swedish Club, UK Hydrographic Office, West of England P&I Club
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