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Report: Failure of maintenance procedures caused fire

A failure to follow recommended maintenance procedures, or possibly a perceived shortcut in the process, was believed to have caused a fire that resulted in $1.2 million in damage and disabled the 'Endo Breeze', actually sailing as 'Euro Breeze', while she was maneuvering within the confines of a shipping channel, according to a report the National Transportation Safety Board issued, highlighting how a maintenance error was likely the cause of a preventable casualty, but that the fast response and appropriate actions of the crew prevented more damage or injuries. The NTSB used this instance to highlight the consequences of a crew’s actions. The fire showed what can happen when equipment manufacturers’ recommended maintenance procedures are not followed. The product tanker was departing the Sunoco Terminal in Linden, New Jersey, on April 29, 2022. Approximately two hours after leaving the berth and navigating around Staten Island, the bridge ordered full ahead on the engines. At around the same time, the second and fourth engineers who were making a round in the engine room smelled fuel oil and saw a haze in the air near the starboard main diesel engine. The spotted fuel oil on the deck and a fuel mist coming from the aft end of the engine. Within approximately two minutes, they noted that the leak had turned into a fire near cylinder no. 4 on the starboard engine and the fire was quickly spreading. The engine room space and control room were evacuated while the second engineer secured all ventilation, pumps, fuel and oil values, and some auxiliary machinery. The vessel lost main power going on to its emergency generator and the engine room’s fixed carbon dioxide fire extinguisher system was employed. The tanker made an emergency anchorage in the Raritan Bay Channel. It would be two days before the New York Fire Department would give the all-clear that the crew could re-enter the engine room with the danger of a reflash. During its investigation, the NTSB discovered that the second engineer, aided by a motorman and wiper, performed maintenance the previous day on the starboard main engine which included replacing fuel injectors and fuel injector pumps. The second engineer told the NTSB he had experience conducting this type of maintenance and followed the recommended procedures including for the reassembly. He replaced consumable items and reused prescribed parts including the banjo tube and bolts that were found to be in good condition. He also reported testing the engine at the end of the process and found no leaks. In conducting a post-casualty examination, however, the NTSB found a slight offset, resulting in misalignment to the fuel injector pump and a fracture near the top portion of the inboard side of the banjo tube mounting surface to the sealing flange. Ruling out other issues with the parts, the NTSB writes it was likely the engineer did not correctly follow the manufacturer’s reassembly procedure for the fuel injector pump. It specified an order of steps and points such as the torque settings. The report concludes that when the engine was fully loaded with a full-ahead order, the expanded stress due to heath and the slight misalignment caused the banjo tube to fracture resulting in the leak that caused the fire. Not following the tightening sequence described in the diesel engine manufacturer’s manual led to the misalignment and failure of a high-pressure fuel connection on an engine’s fuel injector pump’s assembly. Due to the high risk of fire associated with pressurized fuel, when working with diesel engine components, it’s critical to carefully follow manufacturer assembly procedures and review manufacturer manuals and guidance on a regular basis to ensure familiarity with correct maintenance procedures. The NTSB report also emphasized the need for training to prevent and contain engine room fires. The crew’s effective response to the fire aboard the Endo Breeze they concluded limited the damage and prevented injuries.

Sold

to Maltese owner, Endo Finance, for a price in the region of $12.1m.

Team Tankers sells and charters back MR tanker

Chemical tanker operator Team Tankers has sold its 2003-built 44,999 dwt MR tanker Team Tapatio, the company revealed in its first quarter report. The vessel was previously owned by Laurin Maritime, and became part of the fleet when Team Tankers acquired Laurin Maritime last year. Team Tankers sold the vessel for $12.5m last month, to unnamed party, and the vessel is expected to be delivered to the new owner in May. The new owner will time charter the vessel back to Team Tankers for a period of three years.