Real Life Incident: Chemical Tanker Becomes A Total Loss As 12 Crew Abandon Ship Before Explosion
A chemical tanker was on passage in ballast, having discharged its cargo of ethanol. At about 1725, the officer on watch in the engine control room noticed smoke coming from behind a fluorescent light fitting. As a precaution, the generator and main engine were stopped while the crew searched the engine room for the source – but no fire was found.
Shortly afterward, smoke was seen coming from the port side of the accommodation. It was found to be emanating from the laundry room; smoke was escaping from around the door, and the door itself was hot to the touch. The fire spread very rapidly through the accommodation. Crew attempted to fight the fire in fire fighting kit, but could not get close to the seat of the fire due to dense smoke.
To complicate matters, because the generator had been shut down, the fire pump could not be run. The emergency fire pump, located in the steering gear room, could not be used either, as that space had filled with dense black smoke, preventing access. All fire hoses were therefore useless.
With firefighting effectively impossible, the Master ordered abandon ship. A distress call was broadcast and all 12 crew abandoned safely into the lifeboat without injury. Minutes after the crew cleared the vessel, flames reached the bridge structure, and explosions occurred. The crew were recovered about an hour later by a passing containership and transferred to a Coast Guard vessel.
The fire burned until it was extinguished by the Coast Guard the following afternoon. The vessel was declared a total constructive loss and was later scrapped.
The investigation found, among other things:
- The vessel’s fire alarm system did not activate; smoke in the laundry room was only detected by chance via a duct/void connection to the engine control room. This delayed detection and allowed the fire to grow without intervention.
- No smoke or heat detectors were operating in the laundry space itself.
- The exact ignition source could not be conclusively determined, but the evidence pointed toward an electrical fault in the laundry machinery as the most probable cause.
- The laundry room contained combustible materials besides the machines themselves, such as lint/fibre from oil filter wraps, filters, mattress sponge, and cleaning chemicals, increasing the fuel load.
Lessons Learned
- Laundry rooms are a well-known but often underestimated fire hazard. Unattended operation, heat-generating machinery, and accumulated lint/fibre create ideal conditions for rapid fire growth. These spaces deserve careful management and dedicated smoke/ heat detection.
- Before securing power or isolating machinery as a ‘precaution’, consider what firefighting capability you may be removing – especially fire pump availability- until the actual source and severity of a problem is confirmed.
- A functioning fire detection system is often the difference between early intervention and total loss.
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Disclaimer :
The information on this website is for general purposes only. While efforts are made to ensure accuracy, we make no warranties of any kind regarding completeness, reliability, or suitability. Any reliance you place on such information is at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from the use of this website.
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