A Fire Caused by Water! A breakdown in communication while a deep tank was being ballasted resulted in a fire. NARRATIVE A cable vessel was lying alongside a pier having been on stand-by for the previous six weeks waiting to enter dry dock. During this period, various contractors had been working aboard preparing her for docking. Contractors were cleaning the forward deep tank using high-pressure water guns. While doing so they blasted a hole in the vent pipe that protrudes into the tank from the log compartment. The chief engineer and chief officer inspected the hole, and decided that repairs could be left until the dry dock. The deep tank would be filled for the voyage, as would the log compartment from the hole in the vent pipe. It was not seen as a problem. Two days later the deep tank was ballasted. The chief officer told the carpenter to sound the tank, while the second engineer detailed a fourth engineer to operate the ballast pump. The normal procedure was for the engineer to start the pump and leave it running until told to stop it by the carpenter. On this occasion the carpenter, who had other things to do, left it to another crewman to inform him as soon as the tank was full. There was a breakdown in communication and this information was never passed. The carpenter was not told that the tank was full, and without any instructions to stop the ballast pump, the fourth engineer left it running. The tank overflowed, and it was not until the chief officer noticed the overflow that the pump was stopped. Shortly afterwards the fire alarm sounded after a contractor noticed sparks and smoke coming from an empty cabin on C deck, port side, forward. The fire brigade was called while the crew and contractors were mustered ashore. The onboard fire team investigated the scene of the fire, extinguished a small fire and electrically isolated the area. The fire brigade arrived, checked the situation and, once satisfied the fire was out, left. CONCLUSION The cause of the fire was electrical. On filling the deep tank, water had leaked into the log compartment vent pipe through the hole made by the high-pressure water guns during the tank washing. As the tank filled under pressure from the ballast pump, the deck rating appointed by the carpenter monitored the water level. When he saw it was full, he screwed the sounding pipe cap on and left, unaware that he should have told the engineer to stop the pump. As a result the tank pressurised, causing water to be forced up into the damaged vent pipe. A split weld further up the vent pipe allowed water to spill out on to an electrical conduit and into desk sockets in a cabin on C deck. The result was a short circuit, sparks and smoke. Source: UK MAIB
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 02:11:29 +0000
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