A fire aboard a commercial iron ore vessel, the Cuyahoga, docked at the Port of Ashtabula in March 2024, has revealed significant safety lapses by South Marine Systems, an Ohio-based company responsible for maintenance work on the vessel.
Federal safety inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor determined that the fire, which erupted during welding operations, could have been avoided if the company had followed basic safety protocols. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the fire started while a worker was using welding equipment to remove paint inside the vessel’s cargo hold. Many crew members were on break and narrowly escaped being trapped below deck. An investigation, prompted by a referral from the U.S. Coast Guard, found that South Marine Systems had failed to implement critical safety measures.
OSHA’s findings showed that the company did not designate a competent person to identify hazards and failed to involve a marine chemist to check for hazardous atmospheres before welding began. Inspectors also noted that the company failed to stop work when smaller fires broke out during the welding process.
“Fate, not South Marine Systems, helped the cargo vessel’s crew avoid disaster,” said OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts. “The company’s failure to comply with basic safety requirements exposed workers to fires, asphyxiation, and other dangers.”
As a result, OSHA has cited South Marine Systems with 15 serious violations and one other-than-serious violation, proposing penalties of $164,540. Among the violations were the company’s failure to determine the flammability of materials before welding, provide proper firefighting equipment, develop a fire safety plan, and ensure that workers could effectively communicate during fire watch duties.
The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched separate investigations into the incident.
