Owners of certain ships are being warned of a dangerous drainage system modification that contributed to the death of an engineer.
The accident occurred on 20 March 2013, on board the bulk carrier Nireas. The ship was anchored off Gladstone, Queensland, and an engineer was carrying out the routine task of draining water from the ship’s main air receiver (part of the compressed air system). Unbeknownst to the engineer, as he continued with his task the pressure from the air receiver was affecting another component, the drainage pot. The drainage pot was a heavy steel cylinder mounted into the deck adjacent to the air receivers. The pressure built within the pot until, eventually, the drainage pot observation window exploded. Tragically, the engineer was killed by flying debris.
The ship builder contacted all owners of ships in which it had fitted this design of drain system to warn them.
The ATSB investigation found that the original designers of the system had assumed that it would be open to the atmosphere. The modifications to the design, however, had created a closed system, allowing the pressure to affect the drainage pot. The shipyard had not ensured that the new design was adequately engineered, tested and approved prior to installation, despite having procedures in place which should have ensured such scrutiny.
Furthermore, the ATSB learned that similar designs of drainage systems had been, and continued to be, fitted in ships by various shipyards around the world.
In response to the accident, the ATSB issued a safety advisory notice to all classification societies, advising them of the accident and its safety implications. The ship builder contacted all owners of ships in which it had fitted this design of drain system to warn them. They informed them of the accident and requested that all observation glasses be removed and for the pots to remain unobstructed.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority issued a Marine Notice to draw industry attention to this accident and its causes.
This accident highlights the need to follow a formal process of risk assessment when considering possible equipment modifications. Such a process must ensure that all associated risks are identified, considered and appropriately treated.
Read the report: Crew member fatality on board the bulk carrier Nireas, while at anchor off Gladstone, Queensland, on 20 March 2013