Carrying about 13,000 tonnes of a fuel oxygenator when the explosion occurred
Tanker crew deaths are under the spotlight again after another fatal explosion onboard a tanker.
A crew member died and 24 Filipino mariners had to be rescued in an explosion onboard the Dutch-owned Liberian-flagged Stolt Valor on 15 March. No Dutch nationals were onboard the vessel, owned by Stolt-Nielsen, when the explosion occurred as it transited international waters in the Persian Gulf.
It was carrying about 13,000 tonnes of a fuel oxygenator used to reduce carbon monoxide emissions, when the explosion occurred. The environmental impact is unknown at this time but the cargo, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), is considered soluble not biodegradable.
The US warship John Paul Jones and US Coast Guard cutter Baranof rescued the mariners from two life rafts, in response to a distress call from the vessel, said the US Navy in a press release.
The survivors were transferred from the warship to the Baranof cutter for repatriation in Manama, Bahrain. They were in good health and did not require medical assistance said the US Navy. Stolt Valor’s master had confirmed one crew member died during the explosion, it said.
An explosion aboard a South Korean chemical and petrol tanker, Doola No.3 – which was carrying 40 tonnes of diesel fuel – killed five and left six missing when it ripped apart on 15 January.
Nautilus recently endorsed concerns raised by the *Oil Companies International Marine Forum at the IMO’s bulk liquids and gases sub-committee meeting and is backing its calls for full reports to be published on the most recent incidents. The OCIMF report hightlighted a series of ‘avoidable, unnecessary and unacceptable deaths, including the case of the Doola No. 3.
Source: Nautilus International
