Fire drills should include the crew learning which vents are those that belong to the emergency generator. This is one of the recommendations of the Dutch Safety Board after investigating the fire on board the Dutch container ship Escape.
JR Shipping’s container ship Escape left the port of Klaipéda (Lithuania) on the evening of Monday 20 February 2023, bound for Riga (Latvia). In the course of the following morning, 21 February, problems arose with the thermal oil system. There were pressure fluctuations within this system, resulting in an automatic slowdown of the main engine.
The captain decided to stop the main engine and drop anchor so as to investigate the problem and if possible solve it. The chief engineer concluded that the thermal oil system had become contaminated, but was unable to determine conclusively whether the contamination was caused by (cooling) water or by fuel (diesel). It was decided to partially replace the thermal oil with fresh, clean oil.
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Firefighting efforts
The vessel set out again at slow speed, but the temperature of the thermal oil still rose to above 100°C and the pressure began to fluctuate again. During the night of 22 February, oil was found running from the funnel into the engine room and a fire broke out in the funnel.
The engine room crew immediately stopped the main engine. It quickly became clear that the fire was too big to fight on the spot. The chief engineer therefore decided to activate the CO2 fire extinguishing system in the engine room. The chief engineer did not wait until all the crew members had reported to the muster station and had been counted.
Use of the CO2 extinguishing system in the engine room made it necessary to start up the emergency generator in another area in order to supply electricity. A short time after, the onboard electricity supply nevertheless failed. As a result, the lights went out and the fire-fighting pump ceased operating.
Flames could still be seen in the top of the funnel. Because it was no longer possible to fight the fire any further, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. The whole crew boarded the freefall lifeboat and left the ship. They were then taken on board by a cargo ship that was already on its way to render assistance.
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Emergency generator vents found to be closed
The Escape was later taken in tow by salvagers and towed into Riga. After it arrived there, the emergency generator’s day tank was found to be still full of fuel, but the cooling water level was too low. After the salvagers had topped up the cooling water, the emergency generator was started up.
After a while, it stopped again due to overheating. The vents for the emergency generator were found to be closed. The salvage workers then opened up the ventilation and again topped up the cooling water. After being restarted, the emergency generator then continued to run without any problems.
DSB investigation findings
This fire on board and the subsequent evacuation is a serious shipping accident according to international criteria. That is why the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) is obliged to investigate this fire. No one got injured due to this incident.
The fire on board the Escape started because the temperature of the thermal oil had risen too high when the system was being boiled out. Together with the water vapour being released from the system, thermal oil found its way onto the hot exhaust pipe of the main engine.
To save time, the chief engineer did not follow the applicable procedure when activating the CO2 system. The system was activated without consulting the captain and obtaining his approval. The entire crew were not first assembled to make sure everyone was present.
The emergency generator’s vents were closed, as a result of which it received insufficient ventilation and became too hot. It consequently stopped and the ship’s electricity supply failed.
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Recommendations and lessons learned
Boiling out a thermal oil system with the aid of exhaust gases from the main engine presents an increased risk of fire. Because the main engine is primarily intended to provide propulsion, it is more difficult to raise the temperature of the thermal oil in a controlled manner. Controlling the temperature is easier if the auxiliary boiler is used.
When the CO2 system is used, it is extremely important to consult the captain and obtain his permission. Following the applicable procedure and counting all the crew members at the agreed muster station excludes the possibility that someone is still in the area that is going to be filled with CO2.
When the emergency generator is started up, it is important for the crew to check that the vents are open. Clearly marking these vents can prevent the close-down team – who close those vents in the event of a fire – from also closing the emergency generator’s vents. Fire drills should also include the crew learning which vents are those that belong to the emergency generator.
Picture by the Latvian Navy.
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