While fire drills conducted on board MPV Everest exceeded the minimum number required by regulations, none practised an engine room fire, nor was there was any evidence of onboard training and instruction being provided in the use of the engine room water mist fixed fire‑extinguishing system. Consequently, several crew members were unfamiliar with the operation of the system and opportunities to evaluate the ship's emergency preparedness and remedy areas in need of improvement were lost.
The amendments to the ship’s drill procedures, particularly the requirement for the conduct of realistic drills in various spaces on board the ship, and shore oversight of shipboard drills through review of completed drill reports and during internal audits, should adequately address this safety issue.
On 31 August 2023, Maritime Construction Services (MCS) advised the ATSB that following the fire, it commissioned an independent third-party investigation. Subsequently, Fox Offshore was relieved of its responsibilities as the ship’s managers (in October 2021 - about 5 months after the fire), and MCS temporarily took over management of the ship as an interim measure.
In February 2023, MCS appointed Northern Marine Ship Management as MPV Everest’s new managers and implemented a new shipboard safety management system (SMS). In submission to the draft report, MCS advised the ATSB that shipboard drills are carried out in accordance with the shipboard SMS’s drill schedule which required that:
On 3 October 2023, MCS further advised that drill reports were submitted to shore management for verification of compliance with drill requirements and that the conduct of drills and exercises were also checked during internal shipboard audits.
The ATSB’s review of drill reports for fire drills conducted on board in 2023 showed evidence of compliance with the requirements of the drill schedule detailed above, including the conduct of machinery space fire drills and training sessions in the use of the water mist system.
The ATSB had also provided Fox Offshore a copy of the draft report to allow it the opportunity to review the report and make submissions, but received no response from Fox Offshore.
