Safety Issue
While the Volcano Company safety bulletin warned of the dangers associated with servicing the VJ type burner, it did not inform operators that the burner could be replaced with a VJP burner (a similar burner fitted with a diesel pilot burner), or recommend that existing oil firing units could be modified.
Safety Recommendation
The ATSB recommends that the Volcano Company takes safety action to address this safety issue.
Safety Action
The Volcano Company has advised the ATSB that they will;
1. Advise all operators of the occurrence on board the bulk carrier Saldanha.
2. Advise all operators of the importance of adhering to the safety bulletin, regardless of the type of burner, and the fact that if the operation and servicing are not done as per our safety bulletin, ship crews will be exposed to the same risks as those seen on board Saldanha.
3. Advise all operators that the "VJ" burner is a direct ignition type and that there is also another type of burner "VJP" fitted with pilot burner. If operators wish to have their burner fitted with a pilot burner, Volcano will advise them that the existing burner could be replaced with VJP type burner or that it can be modified.
4. We will also put the same advice on our homepage for a period of time.