West P&I Club issued an alert informing about a pollution incident regarding the issue of structural failure of drain lines passing through fuel oil tanks.
West P&I Club informed about a recent pollution incident that occurred during bunkering operations which resulted in a significant oil spill.
While receiving bunkers, fuel oil escaped through an undetected crack in a deck scupper drain line that penetrated through a fuel oil tank.
The structural failure was only discovered after oil began leaking from the vessel’s side when the fuel level reached the height of the defect.
Although not a common design feature, the arrangement of drain lines/scupper pipes passing through fuel oil tanks still exists. Pipes in such arrangements face accelerated corrosion due to repeated heating and the presence of sea water.
Stress concentration due to vessel motion and vibration contributes to premature piping failure. Additionally, challenging access for thorough inspection makes timely identification of affected areas particularly difficult.
In addition, should any cracks, deterioration, or other structural anomalies be detected during inspection, members are strongly advised to immediately engage with their Classification Society to determine and implement appropriate corrective actions.
Such proactive collaboration with Class is essential to ensure that any remedial measures meet the required standards and provide adequate protection against similar incidents.
