Accident Reports

The Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai has issued a casualty circular into the death on board a tanker while undergoing repairs at berth.
The circular highlights an incident on Indian-registered tanker M T Patriot that resulted in the loss of one life and injuries to three shore-contracted personnel on board.
The casualties occurred due to an explosion inside the port-side Slop tank while cutting of nuts and bolts, using hot work, was being carried out on the Inert Gas line at the main deck.
The tanker was undergoing repairs that included renewal of sections of the Inert Gas (IG) pipeline on main deck at the Port of Chennai at repair berth since 30th October 2023 after taking the necessary permissions Continue reading “DGS India investigation report into M T Patriot tanker explosion”

On the morning of 23 February 2024, the chief engineer on the Isle of Man registered motor yacht Baton Rouge was electrocuted while working on the engine room ventilation system. The chief engineer was replacing a damper actuator, which was situated in a ventilation overpressure duct compartment. The chief engineer’s heart could not be restarted, and he was pronounced dead later that morning.
The investigation found that the chief engineer commenced the actuator replacement without isolating the electric supply and without a permit to work for electrical maintenance in place. This was likely because he had rationalised the risk and wanted to avoid the limitations of restricting the vessel to emergency power. Continue reading “MAIB investigation into death on board motor yacht Baton Rouge”

Transport Malta has released an investigation report into the boiler explosion on board oil/chemical tanker Torc, resulting in the death of a crewmember.

The incident took place on 8 January 2024 as the Maltese-registered ship was traveling between Agioi Theodorai and Genoa.
On 03 January 2024, Torc departed Agioi Theodoroi, Greece, after discharging part of its cargo of Paraffin. The vessel was bound for Genoa, Italy with an expected date of arrival of 10 January 2024. Shortly after departing from Agioi Theodoroi, the engineers changed over the boiler fuel consumption to very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) for both boilers. However, the starboard boiler failed repeatedly to start. Continue reading “Transport Malta investigation into boiler explosion death”

The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator has released its report into the deaths of three crewmembers on bulk carrier Blue Cecil in 2023.
The vessel’s C/E, ETO and Fitter died after they were found unconscious inside of Cargo Hold No. 1. Despite a rescue attempt, with all three being recovered from the hold, they were unresponsive and did not respond to CPR. A post-mortem examination by the Philippine authorities determined their deaths was “asphyxia by suffocation.”

The following lessons learned were identified:
a) Entering a loaded cargo hold without authorization and without following established shipboard enclosed space entry and rescue procedures is extremely hazardous and should not be attempted. Continue reading “Marshall Islands publishes Blue Cecil report after enclosed space entry deaths”

The EMSA has published its Annual Overview of Marine Casualties and Incidents 2024, which presents statistics on marine casualties and incidents that cover the period from 1 of January 2014 to 31 of December 2023.
In 2023, most of the indicators, such as the number of occurrences, ships lost, fatalities or injuries, are near or below the average values for the entire period from 2014 to 2023.
In 2023, 2,676 marine casualties and incidents were reported, which represent an increase of 49 marine casualties and incidents compared to 2022 and a decrease of 66 marine casualties and incidents compared to 2021. Continue reading “EMSA Annual Overview of Marine Casualties and Incidents 2024”