(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) Transport Malta issued a Safety Investigation Report regarding an incident that occurred shortly after 1430 LT on February 23, 2022. Three crew members onboard the Maltese-registered LNG carrier M/V PEARL LNG were involved and became seriously injured.
The incident occurred about 185 nautical miles West Southwest of Saint Nazaire, France. At the time, the crew members were attempting to remove an inspection cover on one of the vessel’s hydrophores, when the cover dislodged violently from the hydrophore.
It was immediately clear to the crew members that the ‘violent’ dislodging of the inspection cover could only be the result of a hydrophore whose internal pressure (behind the inspection cover) was higher than atmospheric pressure. The safety investigation team concluded that prior to the removal of the inspection cover, the crew members used air to push the water out of the hydrophore but that was not enough to depressurize the vessel.
For more information, download the full investigation report below:
Source: Transport Malta
