At 0918 on 4 August 2020, the liquefied petroleum gas/ethylene carrier Moritz Schulte suffered an engine room fire while discharging a cargo of ethylene alongside the port of Antwerp, Belgium. The newly promoted third engineer, who was working on an auxiliary engine fuel filter, had not effectively isolated the fuel system and both he and an adjacent auxiliary engine’s hot exhaust were sprayed with fuel under pressure. The fuel spray penetrated the exhaust insulation and ignited.
Prompt actions by the crew closed down the space to limit the spread of fire. The subsequent crew muster identifed that the third engineer was missing and had last been seen in the engine room. Continue reading “Report on engine room fire on Moritz Schulte with loss of one life”