Tag: explosion

Reefer containers suffering explosions Following on from last week's Bulletin alerting the industry to the hazardous issues of defective reefers the UK P&I Club has gained insightful analysis from Industry experts, Cambridge Refrigeration Technology. CRT have kindly given permission for the Club to publish their initial findings. Their present advice is outlined below;QUOTECOUNTERFEIT REFRIGERANT IN REEFER CONTAINERSThere have been cases of reefer containers suffering explosions.Refrigerated Container refrigeration units should contain polyolester oil and the refrigerant HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane) and should therefore be incapable of exploding.Material recovered from the exploded units have been analysed by a laboratory and have found to be corroded by a chlorinated compound. Traces of alumina (AL2O3) were also found at the sites.From the above data we can be reasonably certain that the pyrophoric liquid ( burns in contact with air) to be is trimethyl aluminium (Al2(CH3)6). The explanation is that the system has been contaminated with a counterfeit refrigerant containing methyl chloride (chloromethane, CH3Cl). This gas works as a refrigerant but reacts with the aluminium in the compressor forming trimethyl aluminium, which is a liquid at room temperature.The issues that need to be resolved are:1. How can this be prevented from occurring again? 2. How can the ...

Recommendations for recharging LR issues safety alert regarding Explosion of refrigerated container compression units and recommendations for recharging applicable to Container ship operators and crew, container terminals and stevedores, road haulage firms, maintenance fitters and end users/leasers of refrigerated containers, as follows:There have recently been a number of incidents, some fatal, involving explosion of the compressor units fitted to refrigerated (reefer) containers. The cause of the explosions is still under investigation but it appears that the servicing of the refrigeration system is a common factor in each case. It has been reported to Lloyd's Register that refrigerant gas in refrigeration and air conditioning plants is being recharged or 'topped up' with different types of gas. This may have been a contributing factor to the explosions.The international community is phasing-out the use of HCFC R-22 refrigerant. This refrigerant is becoming increasingly difficult and costly to obtain. As a result, it has been reported that some service contractors are mixing dissimilar refrigerants in air conditioning and/or refrigeration systems. This practice carries the following significant risks:1. It may violate several European and national standards, and may be illegal in some countries.2. The unknown composition of the resultant refrigerant mixture may change system performance ...

Improper stowage in many of the containers was found The UK P&I Club issues bulletin regarding Calcium Carbide container incident (USA) as follows:A Member of the UK P&I Club reported that a container being shipped on the UP Rail had its doors blown off due to detonation of two drums of Calcium Carbide shipped within the container. The incident took place approximately 70 miles from El Paso, Texas. Below are the IMDG codes for the commodity;Shipping Name: CALCIUM CARBIDEIMO Class: 4.3UN Number: 1402Packing Group: 2Marine Pollutant: DAccording to rail officials, the explosion was likely caused by a spark from the steel drums vibrating during transit.Federal Rail Administration and shipping line surveyors inspected other Calcium Carbide shipments moving under the same bill of lading and found improper stowage in many of the containers.The stowage problems noted below are likely to have contributed to the incident.Several vertical securing bands on drum pallets were found to be loose. A 6"-7" horizontal void space between the wood bracings and drums was found in each container, nothing was preventing the longitudinal movement of the drums or pallets. Lumber for blocking and bracing should be a minimum size of 2"x6". In addition a solid plywood bulkhead ...

The ship exploded after it had leaked a currently unknown substance into the ocean Nigerian maritime authorities have reported that a Liberian-flagged ship has exploded off the coast of Lagos, killing three Indian sailors, with two still unaccounted for.A spokeswoman for the Nigerian Maritime Administration, Lami Tumaka, told Associated Press on Thursday there was an explosion on Sunday off the coast, confirming the vessel as the MT Jacksonville. She added that the ship exploded after it had leaked a currently unknown substance into the ocean,citing a big explosion in the engine room, spurring fires aboard the vessel.The MT Jacksonville had twelve crewmembers total on board at the time of the explosion. Ten of those crewmembers have been confirmed alive and suffering from various degrees of burn wounds and were transported to a hospital at the Apapa port in Nigera. Authorities also unfortunately recovered the bodies of three Indian men who were declared dead. Lami Tumaka added that the two remaining sailors from the Jacksonville are still missing.It is not immediately certain what caused the explosion to occur, but the Times of India has reported that the French-based company operating nearby, Total Oil Company , said the accident was caused by ...

They went missing after an explosion on a cargo ship off Lagos The bodies of three Indian crew members who went missing after an explosion on a cargo ship off Lagos, Nigeria have been recovered, Nigerian officials say.The blast on the MT Jacksonville, carrying 15 Indian crew, occurred on Sunday.Ten crew members were rescued immediately. The bodies of the dead were recovered on Thursday, and two others are still missing.The ship's origin and destination were not immediately clear.Lami Tumaka, spokeswoman for the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, told the AFP news agency that the crew was undertaking repair work on the vessel when "there was a big explosion in the engine room" and a fire broke out.The 10 crew members who were rescued on Sunday were treated for "different levels of burns" and released, she said.It is not clear what caused the explosion on the ship.Source: BBC

Firefighters are still working to put out the fire A 5,000-tonne cargo vessel exploded Monday night at a shipyard at Pingtan Island, southeast China's Fujian Province.The vessel exploded at 8:35 p.m. when being examined and repaired at Kan'ao Shipyard, Su'ao dock of Pingtan Island.Eight trapped people were rescued. Three firefighters were injured in the search and rescue operation.Firefighters are still working to put out the fire.Source: Xinhua

The reason are unclear for the blast A patrol boat belonging to the customs office exploded on Friday night in North Sumatra, killing seven officials and seriously injuring two others, rescuer said on Saturday.Head of search and rescue office in North Sumatra Dianta Bangun told Xinhua by phone that the accident at Pantai Labuh beach in Deli Serdang district took place before starting engine. "Four bodies of the officials were found at the site on Friday night, but the other three were recovered on Saturday morning. Two others were being treated in a nearby hospital,"he said.The reason are unclear for the blast which happened as the officials were set to patrol to prevent smuggling, said Bangun.Source: Xinhua

12 people dead and 62 injured Cyprus'defense minister and national guard chief on Monday resigned after a massive explosion that flattened out a naval base and a power generating plant on the island, leaving at least 12 people dead and 62 injured."Defense Minister Costas Papacostas and National Guard Chief Petros Tsalikidis assumed responsibility for this tragic event and have submitted their resignation," said Stefanos Stefanou, the government spokesman.Their resignations have been accepted by President Demetris Christofias,the spokesman told press after an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers.Stefanou confirmed death toll of the massive explosion stood at 12, while 62 people have been hospitalized, two of them in critical condition. Military sources had earlier said that the death toll could be as high as 40. Among the dead are five fire fighters and seven officers and servicemen at the base. A three-day public mourning has been declared for the dead.The fire fighters had been called in the area to douse a bush fire which had broken out in the base some two hours before the explosion occurred at 5:50 a.m. local time (0250 GMT).Outgoing National Guard Chief Petros Tsalikidis had said that there had been explosions in two out of ...

10 people are feared to be dead A huge explosion tore through a naval base in southern Cyprus Monday, causing widespread damage, the Defense Ministry said. Around 10 people are feared dead.Spokeswoman Aliki Stylianou could not immediately confirm the cause of the explosion which occured at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base on the Mediterranean island's southern coast at around 6 a.m. (0300GMT).State television CyBC reported that the explosion also caused numerous injuries and extensive damage to homes in villages near the naval base.State radio quoted National Guard Chief Petros Tsalikides who is at the naval base as saying that the explosion caused a "great catastrophe."Video broadcast on CyBC showed numerous damaged cars stopped along a stretch of highway near the naval base. One person who was in one of the cars passing the base at the time of the explosion told CyBC that it felt like "a bomb had been dropped on the car."Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said that a fire at a nearby Vasiliko power station has been contained.Cyprus Electricity Authority official Yiannis Tsouloftas said the power station -- the island's primary electricity generator -- sustained extensive damage as a result of the explosion's concussion wave and will remain ...

Crews are required to take training in tanker operations On a product tanker on a short voyage between two busy ports, the crew started tank cleaning operations. They fitted a water-driven fan to ventilate the tank with plastic ducting extending to the lower portion of the tank. After completing the ventilation, two crew members entered the tank to remove oil cargo residues.There was an explosion which tore away bulkheads to adjoining tanks and ignited the aviation fuel and kerosene slops that were stored in them. The explosion breached the hull in these tanks and the engine room and the ship flooded rapidly, developed a starboard list and sank. The crew escaped by jumping into the sea.Out of a total of 16 crew, seven were rescued by passing ships. Three bodies were recovered from the sea, while a further six crew members are missing, presumed dead. Probable cause/contributory factorsThe source of ignition could not be identified. It was probably either a discharge of static electricity from the crew's winter clothing or from the plastic ventilation ducting, or a friction spark created when an ordinary metal can that was used to carry tools impacted with the tank's internal surfaces;The crew was under ...