Tag: engine failure

Engine room crew perform their duties in an extremely demanding working environment; high temperatures and pressure systems. Despite of taking all the precautions and safety measures, while handling engine room machinery systems, accidents do happen! 

In their latest video promoting maritime safety and accident prevention, the Standard P&I Club and CHIRP Maritime share best practice in the event of main engine failure. With respect to a particular case, CHIRP recommended that it is best practice to test a main engine prior to departure by turning it over on both air and fuel.

The ship was standing by at location due to fog preventing operations. At 03:20 the high-level alarm on the forward bilge sounded. On investigation of the alarm, the forward bilge was found to be full of fuel oil. The fuel was seen to be spraying from the port main engine onto the engine room plates.

In its recently-published Shipping and Safety Review, Allianz cites a top-10 list of the largest ships lost throughout 2017, noting that half of the cases involved bulk carriers. The highlights of the year were the sinking of the two bulk carriers, 'Stellar Daisy' and 'Emerald Star', which caused death of a total of 33 seafarers.

The industry has mostly shed its focus on navigational safety or pollution prevention; however, the issues related to engine rooms and installations should not be disregarded considering that many accidents have been reported due to engine failures, loss of power or other engineering related causes.

On 12 September 2017, while approaching Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, the ro-ro passenger ferry Wight Sky suffered a catastrophic failure of one of its main propulsion engines, and fire broke out. The fire was control immediately, but the vessel's engineer suffered serious burn injuries. He was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had not returned to work until now, UK MAIB informs.

IMCA informed about a severe engine failure during a major vessel overhaul. Namely, the connection rod on a cylinder parted from the connecting rod cap and created a hole in the engine block. The engine had been operating for 17 hours, carrying approximately a 20% load.

We see an increase in the number of accidents caused by main engine failure. It may be costly to the operator due to delays at the vessel’s planned route, machinery damage or even if assistance is needed from towing companies but also be the reason of a collision!

In the morning hours of 23 June, the ship, owned by the Danish shipping company Thorco Projects, was underway in the South Pacific, heading from Baltimore, US, to Hobart, Australia, when she encountered an engine trouble and ran aground on Raroia atoll, in French Polynesia.

The Swedish Club suggests vessel operators to always look to the long term, when deciding what type of engines to install across the fleet. Latest statistics from the Club show that vessels propelled by medium/high speed engines have a claims frequency 2.5 times higher than slow speed engines, with an average claims cost close to $650,000.