(www.MaritimeCyprus.com)Â On January 8, 2024, at approximately 0331 local time, a fire broke out in the engine room of the cargo vessel Stride during bunkering operations while docked at the Barbours Cut Marine Terminal in LaPorte, Texas. Crewmembers swiftly shut down all ventilation systems to the engine room, resulting in the fire self-extinguishing.
Shoreside firefighting personnel and the ship’s emergency response teams subsequently rescued three crewmembers who had become trapped in the engine control room. Tragically, two crewmembers were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third suffered serious injuries. There were no reports of environmental pollution resulting from the incident. However, the vessel, valued at approximately $12 million, was declared a constructive total loss.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the fire on board the cargo vessel Stride was diesel oil cascading onto operating machinery in the engine room during bunkering due to an incorrect valve type installed into a diesel oil tank fill line, which prevented diesel oil from filling the tank and directed it up the common vent line, where it flowed from a cut out section of the vent pipe down into the engine room.
Contributing to the overfilling of the bunkering line was engine crewmembers not monitoring the levels of the tanks being filled aboard the vessel, as required by the bunkering procedure in the operating company’s safety management system.
Lessons Learned
Consulting Vessel Drawings when Ordering
Replacement Components Vessel drawings contain piping symbols for equipment such as valve types, sizes, and functions. Owners, operators, and crews should carefully note all components of a vessel’s drawings and diagrams to ensure that proper spare or replacement parts are ordered to maintain functionality.
Ensuring Adequate Personnel for Bunkering Operations
During bunkering operations, vessel owners, operators, and crews should ensure adequate personnel are available to take frequent soundings, establish fuel tank filling rates, and communicate to the person in charge, so tanks are monitored and do not overflow.
Find out more details by Reading the full investigation report for M/V STRIDE below:
Source: NTSB
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