Fire hazard from engine room equipment failure

During routine planned maintenance on a vessel in port, the main engine lube oil purifier was being tested.

Smoke was noticed emerging from beneath the guard of the purifier pre-heater.

The vessel’s smoke detection system activated, indicating smoke in the separator room.

A general alarm was sounded and ‘in port’ fire procedures were activated.

The heater was isolated both electrically and mechanically (completely cut off).

Bridge was informed that smoke was present, but there was no fire, and the situation was under control.

There was confusion on board – crew were preparing for an emergency drill and assumed it was brought forward (did not realise the alarms were valid).

The public address (PA) system was defective – making it difficult for the vessel master to communicate what was happening. He solely relied on portable radio communication.

Despite this, the management and crew worked quickly to minimise the impact of the incident. The heater was monitored to ensure that it cooled and presented no further danger.

Failed switch in the safety cut-off mechanism - it failed in the ‘reset’ position, allowing the heater to reset itself after it tripped.

Lube oil in pre-heater overheated, which caused the paint on the heater to overheat, causing smoke.

The engineer carrying out the work shut down the heater and intended to report the possible fault, but the smoke detection system activated before he had a chance to do so.

Vessel management had notified shore management of the recurring defect with the PA system, but repairs had been deferred and then cancelled.

No policy or guidance in place for managing a real emergency occurring during drills.

Investigate similar systems to ensure there are no latent failures or defects.

Ensure that any outstanding repairs have been completed (e.g. communications and emergency response systems / any other defects) .

Implement and publish a procedure for emergencies occurring during drills and exercises.

What can distract you from reporting problems straight away? How can you eliminate the distraction?

Is there any faulty equipment / system on your vessel that needs fixing?

• How long have they not been working for?
• How can you check if the fault has been reported? Who is responsible for reporting it?

What measures do we have in place if a real emergency occurs during a drill / exercise? What should you do if this happens?