Classification
- Incident type: Grounded
- Severity: Medium
- Region: Australia
- Investigation body: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Bulk India |
| Vessel Type | Bulk Carrier |
| Flag State | Panama [PA] |
| IMO Number | 9284271 |
| Gross Tonnage | 88490 |
| LOA (m) | 289.00 |
| Operator | Southern Route Maritime and Nissen Kaiun |
| Type of operation | Iron ore |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2018-03-11 |
| Time | 14:33 WST |
| Location | Rio Tinto Channel, Dampier, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | -20.609333, 116.692333 |
| Region | Australia |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Key facts
- The fully laden vessel was departing Dampier under harbour pilotage when a total electrical blackout occurred at about 14:33 WST.
- The rudder remained fixed at 20 degrees to port. Bulk India left the channel and grounded at about 14:37 WST at approximately 7.2 knots.
- Electrical power was restored, three tugs made fast, and the vessel was moved back into the channel. It later anchored at WA17.
- Tank soundings and a ClassNK dive inspection found no breach or significant damage. The reports do not provide a separate missing-person count or a monetary damage estimate.
Narrative
On 11 March 2018, the fully laden Panama-registered bulk carrier Bulk India was departing Dampier, Western Australia, under the conduct of a harbour pilot. Two auxiliary diesel generators were supplying the ship's electrical load while a third was running but not connected. At about 14:20 WST, one generator alarmed because its cooling-water outlet temperature was high. The cooling-water control valve was bypassing the cooler, and the engineers were unable to operate the valve manually in time.
The first generator tripped at about 14:28. The master and engineers discussed the machinery problem, but the pilots were not informed. After the vessel completed its turn into the Rio Tinto Channel, the short escort tug Pilbara Titan was released. At about 14:33, the remaining loaded generator tripped from overheating, causing a total blackout. The emergency generator also shut down after overheating. Propulsion and steering were lost, and the rudder remained fixed 20 degrees to port.
The pilots notified Dampier Vessel Traffic Service and requested additional tugs. Pilbara Vulcan attempted to slow the vessel, but Bulk India left the channel and took the bottom at about 14:37 WST. Pilbara Titan and Pilbara Neptune approached from opposite sides while electrical power was restored at about 14:48. Three tugs made fast and moved the vessel back into the channel by about 14:52. Steering was tested at 14:55 and propulsion was restored at 14:58.
Tank soundings later found no hull breach. A ClassNK dive inspection on 13 March found evidence of bottom contact but no significant damage. Bulk India anchored at WA17 that evening and departed after the Australian Maritime Safety Authority lifted its detention on 13 March.
Sequence of events
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| About 14:20 WST | An auxiliary generator alarmed because of high cooling-water outlet temperature. |
| About 14:28 WST | The first auxiliary generator tripped. |
| About 14:33 WST | The remaining loaded generator tripped, causing a total blackout and loss of propulsion and steering. |
| About 14:37 WST | Bulk India left the channel and grounded. |
| About 14:48 WST | Electrical power was restored. |
| About 14:52 WST | Three tugs moved the vessel back into the channel. |
| About 14:58 WST | Main-engine propulsion was restored. |
| 18:30 WST | Bulk India anchored at WA17. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling-water control failure | Confirmed finding | A pneumatic-controller fault caused cooling water to bypass the cooler and overheat the auxiliary generator engines. |
| Manual response | Confirmed finding | The engineers did not know how to operate the stuck temperature-control valve manually in time to prevent overheating. |
| Bridge communications | Confirmed finding | The pilots were not informed of the machinery problems before the blackout, reducing the time available for an effective response. |
| Emergency-generator readiness | Confirmed finding | The emergency generator also became unavailable after overheating, and the ATSB identified critical-spares controls as an additional risk factor. |
Investigation
The ATSB investigated the occurrence as 341-MO-2018-004 and published its final report on 11 September 2020. The report identifies the generator cooling-water control failure as the initiating technical problem and discusses the manual response, bridge communications, emergency-generator condition, and critical-spares controls as contributing or risk factors. The physical damage was limited in the reviewed account, and no financial damage estimate is provided.