Why spills and injuries happen after the hose is connected
Estimated read time: 70–85 minutes
Audience: Cadet → AB → Junior Officer → Chief Mate
Introduction – The illusion that the danger is over
Once a hose is connected and valves are lined up, many crews feel that the risky part of bunkering or cargo transfer is complete. The operation becomes passive — monitoring pressures, watching tanks, logging figures.
This mindset is responsible for many serious spills and injuries.
The most dangerous phase of hose handling is after connection, when pressure, temperature, and movement combine to load hoses and manifolds in ways that are not obvious by sight alone.
What a hose experiences during transfer
A transfer hose is not a static pipe. As product flows, pressure fluctuates. Temperature changes cause expansion. Vessel movement introduces bending and torsion. Even slight relative motion between ship and shore can impose cyclic stress at the hose ends and manifold flange.
These stresses concentrate at predictable weak points: gaskets, flanges, hose carcasses, and support saddles. Failure rarely occurs mid-hose. It occurs at interfaces.
Manifolds: strong structures with fragile edges
Ship manifolds are robust, but the equipment attached to them often is not. Valves, reducers, spool pieces, and blind flanges introduce stress raisers. A manifold can survive loads that rupture a hose instantly.
This mismatch leads crews to trust the manifold visually while overlooking the hose’s condition. When a hose fails, it does so violently, releasing pressurised product across the deck with little warning.
🔻 Real-World Failure: Bunkering Hose Rupture and Fatal Burn – Port of Amsterdam (2018)
In 2018, a bunkering operation in the Port of Amsterdam resulted in a fatal accident when a pressurised hose ruptured during fuel transfer. Hot fuel sprayed onto the deck, fatally injuring a crew member.
The hose had been connected correctly and the operation was underway. Investigators found that hose condition and load management were contributing factors. The failure did not occur during connection, but after pressure had stabilised — reinforcing the danger of complacency once transfer begins.
Witnesses reported no prior alarm or visible warning. The hose failed at a connection point, where stress had accumulated unnoticed.
This case highlights a critical truth:
Hose failures do not announce themselves.
They simply release everything at once.
Movement, pressure, and human proximity
During transfer, crews often work close to manifolds to monitor for leaks. This places them directly in the hazard zone should a hose or gasket fail. Standing “just to watch” is one of the most common precursors to serious injury.
Experienced deck officers establish exclusion zones around pressurised hoses and enforce them even during calm, routine operations.
Spill escalation: why small leaks become major incidents
A minor leak at a manifold can escalate rapidly if scuppers are open, drip trays overflow, or response is delayed. Many major pollution incidents began as small, manageable leaks that were underestimated in the first moments.
Time is the critical factor. Recognition and immediate isolation determine whether an incident remains contained or becomes reportable, costly, and career-ending.
Knowledge to Carry Forward
Manifold and hose operations are most dangerous when they appear routine. Pressure, temperature, and movement combine silently until failure occurs. Safe deck practice assumes that hoses are temporary, stressed components and treats every transfer as a potential release scenario.
Competent deck officers manage distance, exclusion zones, and readiness to isolate, not just flow rates and checklists.
Tags
On Deck, Manifolds, Hose Handling, Bunkering, Cargo Transfer, Oil Spill Prevention, Pressurised Systems, Deck Safety, Human Factors, Failure Modes