The main engine of the bulk carrier ID Integrity shut down and could not be restarted, leaving the ship drifting across the Coral Sea.
The ATSB is warning ship operators of the importance of heeding service advice from machinery manufacturers, and of maintaining all associated documentation. This reminder comes after a serious incident in the Coral Sea.
On 18 May 2012, ID Integrity was sailing from Shanghai, bound for Townsville, where it was going to load a cargo of sugar. While transiting the Coral Sea in heavy seas, the ship’s main engine shut down after its fuel pump reversing mechanism came free and jammed. This caused the camshaft to bend and slip in a drive coupling which resulted in the camshaft being out of timing and the engine unable to be restarted.
The ship’s master reported the situation to the Rescue Coordination Centre. The ship was in no immediate danger (about 100 miles to the east of Osprey Reef) and the engineers searched for the cause of the main engine stoppage. In the meantime, the ship’s managers negotiated a commercial towage agreement, and two tugs were dispatched to assist ID Integrity.
For around 52 hours, the ship drifted in a westerly direction towards the Australian coast and the Great Barrier Reef. Driven by the currents and the tides, it travelled more than 150 nautical miles.
As ID Integrity approached Shark Reef, it became apparent that none of the tugs would reach the ship before it was likely to pass over the Reef. Other contingencies, including the use of the ship’s anchors, were considered. It was agreed that the master would de-ballast the ship to reduce its aft draught to 5.0 m, increasing the ship’s under keel clearance to the maximum possible. The minimum charted depth for Shark Reef is 8.1 m.
ID Integrity drifted across the southern end of Shark Reef in waters about 20 m deep, about 4 miles south of the charted 8.1 m depth. The ship was now about 60 miles from the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and was expected to close on it in less than 24 hours.
At 0900 on 20 May, the tug PT Kotor rendezvoused with ID Integrity about 35 miles to the east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. In the rough seas, it took about an hour to connect a tow line. The bulk carrier was towed to Cairns for repairs.
The ATSB found that the engine manufacturer had identified the need for owners and operators to check the fuel pump reversing mechanism for cracks and secureness and provided this advice in service letters. However, this advice had not been included in the engine manuals or planned maintenance system on board ID Integrity. As a result, over time and despite regular inspections, the system had deteriorated and cracks had developed in the mechanism undetected. This led to the failure of a fuel pump reversing link on 18 May.
Read the report: Breakdown and subsequent drift towards danger of the bulk carrier ID Integrity, Coral Sea, 18 to 23 May 2012