The American Club has published some lessons learned from an incident where a general cargo vessel’s generator experienced a catastrophic failure while underway resulting in a fire that spread immediately to the bilges under the generator.
A senior and a junior engineer were in the engine room and both heard a loud bang. The two engineers investigated and saw the fire. The automated alarm system sounded shortly after the fire started. The senior engineer saw the fire was in the bilges and knew that the foam fire extinguisher was appropriate to use.
The senior engineer ran to the control room to notify the bridge and the Chief Engineer. He sent the junior engineer to the large semi- Continue reading “Unfamiliarity with fire extinguisher equipment let fire spread to the bilges”
The Marine Safety Forum has published an alert focusing on a case where a vessel experienced crankcase failure. The vessel suffered a crankcase failure on one of their four diesel generators (DG) which resulted in two small fires and excessive damage to the pistons, con-rods, and the engine block.
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency has published a new leaflet for life-saving signals which will be used by ships, aircraft or persons in distress when communicating with life-saving stations, maritime rescue units and aircraft engaged in search and rescue operations. The leaflet includes pictures and descriptive information on the different types of signals you can use when in distress at sea.
Recent contact with someone has brought to attention a problem regarding a fault causing potentially life-threatening fumes from his boat’s diesel heater. The heater in question is an Eberspacher for which cheap imported spares are available on the internet. The part in question was a replacement fuel pump which he bought online. 
The Office for Product Safety and Standards has updated a number of Statutory Guidance documents, which are all applicable to the marine industry for both Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The individual documents can be downloaded by following the links below. The list of guidance that has been updated and is now applicable and in force is as follows:
Interest in shipboard battery systems has seen a rise in recent years. The possibility for reducing energy costs and environmental impact makes battery technology valuable for maritime use. Batteries can be used in a wide variety of applications, like peak-shaving in hybrid systems to help engines work at optimal loading and increase efficiency.
The superyacht industry is running out of time to course-correct on sustainability if it and its playground – the oceans – are to survive the century, a new report finds.
The UK’s Wight Shipyard Co has been formally presented with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. The award was presented by Mrs Susie Sheldon JP, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, to Peter Morton, Chief Executive of The Wight Shipyard Co. in a ceremony at the thriving yard in East Cowes. The award was in particular recognition of their outstanding short-term growth in the export market.
UK P&I Club has released a video describing the dangers of refrigeration machinery following an enclosed space casualty. During a third-party survey, the surveyor made a request to test the emergency fire pump, which was arranged with the assistance of the chief engineer. The emergency fire pump was located in a recessed well in the steering gear compartment, approximately 3 metres deep and accessed by an inclined stairway.