UK MAIB has issued an investigation report on the incident of an engine room fire on board ro-ro passenger ferry Stena Europe that took place in February 2023.
The incident
At 2115 on 11 February 2023, a fire broke out in the engine room of the roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry Stena Europe while on passage from Rosslare, Ireland, to Fishguard, Wales. The fire caused significant damage to the engine room but nobody was injured and there was no damage to the environment. The fire was extinguished by the crew.
Conclusions
Safety issues directly contributing to the accident that have been addressed or resulted in recommendations
Stena Europe experienced a fire on one of its main engines due to an uncontrolled release of pressurised fuel. The fuel sprayed onto the exposed exhaust manifold that was operating at a temperature exceeding 220°C when a screw in a two-screw flange within the fuel oil pipework loosened.
The fuel oil spray was allowed to reach the hot surface because the joint was not protected by anti-splashing tape or shielding and fuel was able to escape forcefully.
The engine manufacturer’s recommended fuel system modification had been fitted to the external fuel system of just one of Stena Europe’s four main engines. The opportunity to fit the modified flange connection to the external fuel systems on the remaining engines was missed and the risk of fuel leakage remained high.
Much of the insulation and shielding on all of Stena Europe’s engines was in a poor state of repair or missing completely. The ship’s crew and shore management had become accustomed to this condition over time, possibly due to the age of the vessel, leading to machinery in the engine room being inadequately protected.
Stena’s practice of measuring the temperature of running engines using an infrared spot thermometer had not identified the significant hazard posed by temperatures of exposed surfaces exceeding 220°C that still existed post-accident after replacing insulation and shielding.
The onboard staff responsible for fuel system inspections on the main engines, which were credited towards a DNV survey, had insufficient awareness of the task, and the planned maintenance system and manufacturer’s manual provided limited guidance.
Stena’s SMS did not identify that the requirement for defect reporting in document SMM-0255 was not being met with regard to the problems of recurring leaks.
Stena’s management had not fully established the link between recent fires on vessels within the Stena fleet due to fuel leakage and the hazard posed by frequent fuel leaks on three of the four main engines on board Stena Europe, so missed the opportunity to initiate the manufacturer’s recommended upgrade from the two-screw to the four-screw flange connections.
Safety issues not directly contributing to the accident that have been addressed or resulted in recommendations
It can be difficult to demonstrate compliance with the requirement of MSC.1/Circular.1321 to identify areas with a surface temperature exceeding 220°C. The use of thermographic equipment rather than spot thermometers to conduct surveys would improve hot spot identification and facilitate the IMO requirement for running machinery checks to ensure the insulation covering the heated surfaces has been properly reinstalled or replaced.
The chief engineer put themselves and others at risk when they entered the main engine room without wearing PPE or BA despite a fully protected team being on its way to the scene.
Action taken
Stena Line Ltd has:
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On 13 February 2023, issued a fleetwide safety flash (Annex A), highlighting the need to assess hot spots and properly risk assess any maintenance jobs with the potential to cause oil to spray. Stena’s management encouraged the use of the thermal imaging cameras already on board all Stena vessels for the purpose of regular hot spot monitoring and detection in machinery spaces.
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Modified the external fuel piping on ME3 to incorporate four-screw flanges.
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Repaired or replaced the shielding and lagging around the external fuel systems and hot surfaces and fitted anti-splashing tape to all joints on the low-pressure fuel systems on all of Stena Europe’s operational engines.
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On 7 June 2023, engaged a third-party contractor to undertake a SOLAS compliance verification thermographic survey following ME3’s return to service on 17 May.
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Undertaken a review of its company SMS and implemented a review process to manage service bulletins and technical service letters from all manufacturers of main engines and auxiliary engines within the Stena fleet.
Recommendations
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is recommended to:
Submit a paper to the International Maritime Organization proposing an amendment to Maritime Safety Committee.1/Circular.1321 to introduce a requirement for the use of thermographic equipment to identify exposed surfaces with temperatures above 220°C, which could be impinged in the event of a pressurised oil system failure.
Stena Line Ltd is recommended to:
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Review the use of the existing defect reporting functions within the planned maintenance system on vessels within its fleet to ensure that defect reports and remedial actions can be tracked readily.
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Review and provide training to improve how its chief engineers conduct class-related equipment inspections that are credited to class surveys to ensure that inspections are conducted thoroughly and reported accurately.
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Promulgate details of this accident to all ships within its fleet to emphasise the importance of training and highlight the hazards of entering a fire-damaged space without the correct personal protective equipment.
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Introduce the use of thermal imaging cameras to all Stena vessels with appropriate functionality for the detection of exposed hot surfaces of over 220°C within machinery spaces.
