Accident on board ro-ro passenger ferry resulted in 3 people injured
UK MAIB has issued report on the investigation of a fire onboard the RoPax ferry Dieppe Seaways on the approach to, and subsequently alongside, the port of Dover, UK on May 1st, 2014. The accident resulted in the injury of three people.
The Incident
On 1 May 2014, the roll on roll off passenger ferry Dieppe Seaways was approaching the Eastern Ferry Terminal at the port of Dover when an uncontrolled fire broke out in the furnace of the port thermal oil heater. Ship’s staff attempted to extinguish the fire using methods based on experience from a similar incident that had occurred on the same unit in 2009.
However, on this occasion the burner unit opened as a result of the fire and this allowed the fire to develop beyond the furnace; a fact not recognised by the crew. The vessel was met by a team from Kent Fire and Rescue Service on arrival at the berth. Liaison between the team and ship’s staff, and the subsequent control of fire-fighting, were incomplete and not fully co-ordinated.
An initial entry into the port boiler room was attempted, which resulted in a backdraught with an accompanying fireball that caused a number of casualties and necessitated the shutdown of the compartment.
A strategy of containment, cooling and boundary monitoring was then initiated until it was deemed safe to re-enter the compartment some hours late
| The investigation has identified that a crack in the thermal oil heater coil allowed thermaloil to enter the furnace, resulting in an uncontrolled furnace fire. It is concluded that the coilfailed as a result of stress caused by the weld securing the refractory insulation supportplate. |
Please click below to read the report
Source: UK MAIB
