The Nationwide Transportation Security Board of the US (NTSB) printed “Safer Seas Digest 2023,” which incorporates a number of incidents that could be of curiosity to IMCA members. That is certainly one of them.
What occurred
A hearth broke out in a stateroom on board a small towing vessel on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The hearth was extinguished and the crew had been evacuated safely. There have been no accidents, and no air pollution was reported, however the vessel was destroyed.
An off-watch pilot was woke up by a smoke alarm and the scent of smoke in his stateroom. About the identical time, the captain, who was on watch within the wheelhouse, heard a smoke detector beep (however didn’t scent smoke) within the wheelhouse, and the opposite sleeping deckhand woke as much as “a burnt scent.”
A hearth had began behind panels within the pilot’s stateroom, which was positioned between the vessel’s two stacks, every containing engine exhaust mufflers and piping. Cracks within the welds on the higher part of the starboard muffler positioned contained in the starboard stack—which can have been attributable to a latent situation, comparable to a defect within the muffler throughout development or the exhaust system design’s allowance for thermal enlargement and contraction of exhaust piping above the muffler outlet—allowed the recent exhaust gases from the working starboard engine to flee into the stack space and enhance the temperature of the house and its bulkheads.
What was the (possible) trigger
The NTSB’s investigation instructed that undetected cracks within the starboard muffler allowed exhaust gases from an working engine to flee and ignite picket constructions affixed to the frequent bulkhead of an lodging house. Contributing to the extent of the fireplace harm was the substantial use of flamable supplies within the joinery, outfitting, and furnishings within the lodging areas.
Classes discovered
Keep in mind that engine and different equipment exhaust techniques generate great quantities of warmth. These techniques typically run by way of tight areas which might be troublesome to entry and examine and are sometimes positioned close to supplies or gear that impede entry and direct commentary;
Think about inspection of welding and different potential weak factors in such areas
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