The National Transportation Safety Board launched an accident report focusing on the sinking of the towing vessel Jacob Kyle Rusthoven which caught fire prior to being entirely lost in the sea; The Safety Board suggests that what caused the fire was an engine lube oil leak which ignited off a hot surface near the starboard main engine turbocharger.
The Incident
On September 12 2018, a fire erupted in the engine room of the towing vessel Jacob Kyle Rusthoven while it was pushing nine barges southbound on the Lower Mississippi River at mile 673.8, approximately 6 miles north of West Helena, Arkansas.
As the fire kept spreading, three of the barges broke away from the tow, while one rolled over and lost its cargo. The six crewmembers abandoned the vessel and were rescued form another vessel that came to the rescue. Because of the smoke inhalation, the crew was sent to the hospital and discharged the same day.
There was no pollution reported, but the Jacob Kyle Rusthoven, valued at an estimated $1.5 million, burned completely.
Thus, the NTSB proceeded to an analysis of all the incidents that took place, to be able to reach a conclusion. In essence:
The NTSB believes that the fire firstly erupted at or near the inboard turbocharger on the starboard-side main engine based on the heat damage at that location. A commercial forensics science firm found that a loose fitting on the lube oil supply line was a likely fuel source.
Due to the fact that the captain was operating the vessel at full speed – maximum engine rpm – it is likely that when smoke first appeared, the lube oil in the line to the turbocharger was at or near its maximum operating pressure. In the meantime, the pressurised lube oil may have atomized from the loosened fitting and consequently come into contact with a hot surface on the starboard engine near the turbocharger.
The atomized oil would have likely ignited and eventually spread the fire to adjacent combustible materials in the engine compartment, before spreading to the upper level. As the engines and generator continued to run until they failed, they would have continued to supply lube oil and eventually fuel from any of the non-metallic fuel hoses and filters that failed as a result of fire exposure. It could not be determined how the lube oil pipe fitting loosened or when it was last serviced, or if the correct torque for that connection was applied.
The vessel was not fitted with a fixed firefighting system in the engine room, nor was it required to have one.
When the mate reached the fire hose, the fire had disrupted the vessel’s electrics, so the vessel had no electrical power and the fire pump in the main engine room where the fire began therefore was not operable. Although there was a semi-portable CO2 extinguisher inside the engine room on the upper deck, it was not of sufficient size to suppress the fire due to the fire’s sustained fuel source and size.
In the meantime, the crew lacked protective equipment, such as breathing apparatus and fire suits
The captain did not instruct the crew to activate the emergency fuel shutoff valves, and no one closed the main deck doors, the fire was able to spread rapidly.
The vessel was not fitted with a means to secure supply and exhaust ventilation to the engine room.
With no means to fight the fire or maneuver the tow (due to loss of propulsion and steering), the captain’s order for the crew to abandon the drifting vessel to the barges was prudent.
Probable Cause
The Safety Board suggests that an engine lube oil leak ignited off a hot surface near the starboard main engine turbocharger. Contributing to the severity of the fire was the lack of crew measures to activate the engine fuel supply shutoffs and secure open doors ventilating the engine room.
