An air bottle exploded in a lifeboat throughout an inspection of an uncrewed offshore platform, inflicting important harm. The explosion was found whereas the platform was shut in, and no accidents or fatalities occurred since there have been no personnel on board. The explosion induced one air bottle to propel upward into the lifeboat’s ceiling, one other to fall into the ocean, and one to stay intact. The lifeboat was later eliminated for additional investigation, stories IMCA.
What occurred
An air bottle exploded on a lifeboat inflicting important harm. The harm was found throughout a periodic inspection of an offshore platform that had been shut in and had no crew on board. Because the harm occurred on an uncrewed set up, there have been no accidents or fatalities, but in addition no witnesses to the occasion or a precise date/time when it occurred.
The affected lifeboat was eliminated and brought ashore for additional inspection. One of many bottles had exploded with an excellent portion of it propelling upward by the centreline seating construction and embedded itself into the overhead of the lifeboat. One bottle fell to the ocean by the opening created within the hull of the boat and one bottle remained intact.
Why did it occur?
The operator coordinated with the lifeboat servicing vendor and native regulatory authorities to provide an understanding of the possible reason behind the incident. The next factors have been famous:
The bottles on this boat have been bought new in 2018;
Additional inspection after the lifeboat was introduced onshore revealed important corrosion over the size of the bottles within the space the place they have been in touch with the underside of the boat.
Every of the three bottles was positioned in a form-fitting “saddle” constructed into the underside construction of the lifeboat as a substitute of being raised barely above the deck in a cradle. The 2 brackets holding the bottles from above have been manufactured from chrome steel and there was no insulating materials between this bracket and the metal bottles. It seems the set up and site of the bottles have been topic to retaining moisture, particularly between the bottle and the saddle. It might be that the corrosion was additional exacerbated by galvanic motion between the metal bottles and the uninsulated chrome steel bracket.
Members needs to be conscious that this might have an effect on any lifeboat with metal air cylinders put in in the identical method.
Classes discovered and suggestions
The system should have been bled down after the platform was shut in and the crew was taken off;
This explicit set up supplied very restricted entry to those air bottles, so this vastly restricted the flexibility to adequately examine the bottles throughout common weekly/month-to-month upkeep and annual servicing:
The entry ports solely allowed a view of the highest (valve finish) of the bottle.
The saddles through which the bottles rested utterly obscured the part of the bottles contained in the saddle.
The bracket holding the bottles in place was of a unique materials and was in direct contact with the bottle (not insulated). Bleed down pressurized methods when now not wanted;
Guarantee pressurized air bottles are absolutely and adequately inspected throughout weekly/month-to-month upkeep and annual servicing;
Look intently at how pressurized air bottles are saved – may there be moisture traps? Is there a option to keep away from that?
Guarantee pressurized air bottles in lifeboats are raised above the deck to supply higher air flow across the bottle;
Guarantee any system holding pressurized air bottles in place is an identical materials or suitably insulated between dissimilar supplies – concentrate on the danger of galvanic corrosion.
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Supply: IMCA
