ERROR IN MAINTENANCE LED TO DIESEL ENGINE FAILURE REVEALS NTSB REPORT


Left: EMD 710 cylinder arrangement showing the affected area in red. Center: EMD 710 connecting rod arrangement. (Photo credit: Dynamark Engineering)


An improperly tightened fastener led to a diesel engine failure on a Washington State Ferries passenger and car ferry near Bainbridge Island, Washington are the findings of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report.


Marine Investigation Report 22/06 details the NTSB’s investigation into the April 22, 2021, catastrophic failure of the no. 3 main engine aboard the Wenatchee during a sea trial in Puget Sound. The failure led to the ejection


of components from the engine and resulted in a fire in the no. 2 engine room. No injuries or pollution were reported, while damages were estimated at nearly $3.8 million.


The NTSB determined the probable cause of the mechanical failure of the no. 3 main engine was a connecting rod assembly that came loose and separated from the crankshaft due to insufficient tightening (torqueing) of a lower basket bolt during the previous engine overhaul.


“When installing fasteners, personnel should use a calibrated torque wrench, follow the manufacturer’s recommended tightening guide and torque values, and verify that all required torque requirements have been completed,” the Wenatchee report said. “Undertorqueing a fastener may cause excess vibration or allow the fastener to come loose, while overtorqueing may lead to failure of the fastener or the machinery component being secured.”


MOORING BUOY FAILURE CAUSED GROUNDING CAUSING DAMAGE OF $4.5M REVEALS NTSB REPORT


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).


Download the full report at https://bit.ly/3DOv5iH.


SM-3 mooring buoy: failed padeye (with three shackles) that separated from


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.


SM-3 was a converted deck barge originally built in 1966. As an uninspected fishing industry vessel, no trained mariners were required on board, and the vessel’s USCG safety oversight was limited to a stability test and a survey of her lifesaving equipment.


Download the report in full at https://bit.ly/3ufDU25.


buoy (left), damaged top with padeye missing (center), and undamaged bottom padeye (right). (Source: Alaska Marine Surveyors and Northline Seafoods).


The Report • June 2022 • Issue 100 | 21


Safety Briefings


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