Published by The Maritime Executive
Published by Royal Navy News
Published by The Maritime Executive
Published by The Maritime Executive
Published Sep 1, 2022 9:33 PM by The Maritime Executive
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued new recommendations for safe layup for ships on the Great Lakes, based on findings from the fire aboard the bulker Roger Blough last year.
On Feb. 1, 2021, the Roger Blough was moored in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in winter layup. A fire started in the engine room, then progressed to her unloading conveyor belts, which caught fire and burned. This caused extensive damage to the ship, on the order of $100 million. The sole caretaker on board safely escaped to the pier, and no pollution was reported.
The NTSB's investigators determined that the fire started with a diesel furnace which had been installed in the engine room to keep it warm overwinter. The burner assembly's mounting coupling broke, and the burner dropped and fractured its own fuel line, igniting a fire.
Once the fire started, a central alarm system went off and automatically notified a list of company contacts. The shipkeeper was not on the list, and he only woke up seven minutes later when the fire alarm in his cabin went off. By that point, the fire was already spreading.
In the month leading up to the fire, the chief engineer and an OEM service tech had removed and reinstalled the burner multiple times while troubleshooting; the repeated removal likely damaged the burner's mounting coupling, leading to its failure, NTSB determined.
In addition, the furnace had no fire-activated automatic fuel oil shutoff valve on the piping before the burner, which would have stopped the fuel feeding the fire and limited its spread. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that furnace burners have a fire-activated quick-closing valve - but the NFPA standard does not yet extend to vessels.
“There are no regulations regarding winter layup procedures for commercial vessels operating in the Great Lakes,” the report said. “The lack of regulations or classification standards related to diesel oil-fired air heating furnace construction, installation, safety shutdowns, and system alarms poses a risk to life and property if the equipment is not installed and maintained to standards similar to those in place for other oil-fired equipment.”
NTSB recommended that the U.S. Coast Guard and ABS should develop standards for furnace installations in line with the NFPA guidelines.
Published Dec 28, 2022 8:51 PM by The Maritime Executive
As part of its efforts to diversify its energy supply, Finland has welcomed its first ever floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) for natural gas imports. Gasgrid Finland has chartered the FSRU Exemplar from Excelerate Energy for a period of 10 years. It will help supply the gas needs of customers in Finland and Estonia. Exemplar can receive and regasify about five bcm worth of natural gas per year - enough to supply the entire demand for gas in both...
Published Dec 28, 2022 8:29 PM by Royal Navy News
The Royal Navy’s drone squadron have taken their expertise in uncrewed systems one step further by building their own quadcopter. Personnel from 700X Naval Air Squadron have built their first remotely-piloted air system in a milestone moment for the Culdrose-based team. Once thoroughly put through its paces, the drone could be used as a testbed for sensors and delivering other payloads. In an empty aircraft hangar, the sleek four-legged system is ready to be turned on and put through a series...
Published Dec 28, 2022 7:19 PM by The Maritime Executive
Fifteen months after ordering the first of its new 16,200 TEU containerships, which Maersk says will usher in a new era in ocean shipping, work began for the construction of the first of the ships. In addition to being the first large containerships designed to operate on methanol, they will also incorporate a range of features to improve operating efficiency and environmental performance. Maersk revealed in a video and social media posting that the ceremonial first steel cut for the...
Published Dec 28, 2022 5:27 PM by The Maritime Executive
Last week’s massive winter storm that took aim at the central U.S. continues to cause havoc on all forms of transportation with areas around the Great Lakes receiving 40 to 50 inches of snow. The U.S. Coast Guard reports due to last week’s storm that in cooperation with the Canadian Coast Guard it started its annual ice-breaking operation earlier than normal to help in the recovery for communities along the shores and served by ships operating on the Great Lakes....
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