Transport Malta’s Marine Safety Investigation Unit has published an investigation report on leaking thermal oil which led to an engine room fire onboard Neptune Thelisis.
A fire was discovered by the engine room crew members on board the Maltese registered ship Neptune Thelisis shortly after 16.51 (UTC+1) on 17th January 2022. The crew members gathered at the designated muster station and commenced fire-fighting operations. The fire was controlled and extinguished after the fixed fire-fighting installation was activated. Continue reading “Neptune Thelisis: Leaking thermal oil led to an engine room fire is investigation report finding”
On 7 June 2023, a passenger on a sea safari rigid inflatable boat (RIB) suffered a spinal injury that left them paralysed from the waist downwards. Twelve passengers had boarded the RIB and, once it was clear of the jetty, the two crew gave them a safety briefing and instruction on the wearing of lifejackets. The RIB then proceeded out to sea and was increasing speed in choppy sea conditions when it encountered a steep-sided wave. The boat fell off the wave and slammed violently into the trough, dislodging the passenger from a seat at the forward end of the boat. 
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.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued its investigation report about the flooding and subsequent sinking of fishing vessel Grace Marie on 8th July 2022.
At about 0300 on 18 February 2021, a deckhand fell overboard from the twin rig stern trawler Copious (LK 985) approximately 30 nautical miles south-east of the Shetland Islands. The deckhand was conscious, wearing a lifejacket and was quickly brought alongside the vessel. However, the crew’s attempts to recover the casualty back on board were unsuccessful. He was unresponsive when recovered from the water by a coastguard helicopter and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Cracks in a muffler coupled with the use of combustible materials in accommodation spaces caused a fire on a towing vessel last year on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Freeport, Texas, is the key finding in the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) report.
The marine environment takes a toll on coatings, and to keep up with maintenance, most ships’ crews use oil-based paints and finishes almost every day that the weather allows. These materials come with an inherent fire risk, the National Transportation Safety Board (