Mars Reports 2013
The Nautical Institute has issued Mars Report No.59 regarding premature reopening of fire area which casused reignition.
While underway a towing vessel with six crewmembers on board experienced an engine room fire. The chief engineer was in the engine room when the fire broke out. The only exit was an accommodation ladder which was in the path of the oil spray fire.
The chief engineer exited through the fire, which ignited his clothing. The other crewmembers, who had also been alerted to the fire, discovered the chief engineer and extinguished the flames on his clothing. Nonetheless, the chief engineer suffered burns on more than 90 percent of his body.
As a first response, the crew released CO2 from the vessel’s fire suppression system into the engine room and extinguished the fire. After observing a noticeable reduction in heat and smoke, the Master reported that the fire was extinguished and crewmembers opened the doors to the vessel’s superstructure and began de-smoking it.
However, this action compromised the fire boundary by allowing CO2 to escape and fresh air to enter the interior of the vessel, which caused the fire to reflash and rage out of control, consuming most of the tug’s superstructure. The crew had to abandon ship and were later rescued by SAR resources.
The vessel’s chief engineer was fatally injured, and the five remaining crewmembers suffered minor injuries.
Findings of the report
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For more information, please click at Mars Report No.59
Above Mars Report is edited from official NTSB report DCA-12-LM-014