FIRE ONBOARD A FISHING VESSEL CAUSED BY MECHANICAL FAILURE SAYS NTSB REPORT
NTSB has published its report into the circumstances that led to the fire on board the commercial fishing vessel Ole Betts Sea, on 18 March 2018 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The fire burned for 16 hours and the vessel eventually sank about 18 miles northeast of the island of Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, Florida. No pollution or injuries were reported. The ship was a total loss valued at $200,000.
Before getting under way on March 13 for the voyage that was to turn into disaster, the captain performed a pre-departure check of the vessel and its gear. He also checked the items listed on a post-voyage work-list form, which was submitted to Trico’s shop foreman at the end of the previous 3-week voyage. He found all in good order, and the Ole Betts Sea departed its Fort Myers Beach berth.
As the sky was getting lighter, a rigman took the helm during the last trawl so that the captain could rest. About a half hour later, while the vessel was proceeding at “idle speed”, the rigman heard something that sounded like a small “boom” or “heavy thud.”
The captain returned to the wheelhouse when he heard the sound and told the rigmen to pull in the nets and gear. Lighting remained on and the vessel’s main engine continued to propel the boat. About a minute later, the vessel started shaking. While the rigmen retrieved the rig, small boomlike noises were coming from the engine room.
While the rigmen tried to retrieve the fishing gear, the captain went to the engine room door, located on the port side of the main deck, and slid the door open. Thick grayish smoke prevented him from entering, so he closed the door. The captain went to the wheelhouse and called another nearby fishing vessel on VHF radio to inform the other ship’s captain that Ole Betts Sea was on fire.
About 3 minutes after the shaking began, it stopped, and the lights went out, however the main engine continued to propel the boat. The crew donned lifejackets, and the captain decided it would be prudent to launch the rigid liferaft in order to be ready to evacuate the vessel in case the fire grew. He could not access the engine room further aft because of heavy smoke and heat. The vessel did not have, nor was it had to have, a fixed firefighting system for the engine room.
The fire did not abate and a little later, a large explosion took place. After the explosion, thick black smoke emerged from the engine room and the vessel stopped. One rigman abandoned the boat into the liferaft with the dog. The captain and the other rigman jumped into the water and held onto the liferaft.
Probable cause The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the probable cause of the fire and sinking of fishing vessel Ole Betts Sea was a mechanical failure of the generator’s diesel engine, which led to a fuel-fed fire that burned out of control.
Click to read the report in full at
https://bit.ly/2Jfzb9x
MAIB SAFETY DIGEST WITH ANALYSES OF 25 ACCIDENTS VOLUME 1 2019 PUBLISHED
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published a digest and analyses of twenty five marine recent incidents and accidents with short descriptions about each involving vessels from the merchant, fishing and recreational sectors. The 70 page report can be accessed below.
In his introduction to the Digest, Andrew Moll says, “I’d like to thank this edition’s introduction writers. I am delighted that Captain Nick Nash, Andrew Locker and Steve Gravells have agreed to write the introductions to the merchant, commercial fishing and recreational craft sections of this digest. All three have written from both their professional and own personal perspectives, and their words are very powerful. If you read nothing else in this issue, I would encourage you to read the section introductions.
Download the 70 page digest at
https://bit.ly/2Lf2bkb
18 | The Report • June 2019 • Issue 88
Safety Briefings
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