Classification
- Incident Type: Fire
- Severity: High
The Hong Kong Marine Department identified the crankcase explosion as the most probable cause and found major safety-management non-conformities.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | An Tai Jiang |
| Vessel Type | Oil Tanker (asphalt tanker) |
| Flag State | Hong Kong [HK] |
| IMO Number | 8601288 |
| Call Sign | VRXA9 |
| Gross Tonnage | 3951 |
| LOA (m) | 99.50 |
| Breadth (m) | 16.00 |
| Power (kW) | 2867 |
| Owner/Operator | COSCO Southern Asphalt Shipping Company Limited |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 1984 |
| Crew Size | 25 |
| Cargo | 4080 t asphalt |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2009-01-09 |
| Location | about 120 nautical miles east of the mouth of the Changjiang River, China |
| Coordinates | 31.4283, 124.5967 |
| Region | East China Sea |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Injuries | |
| Missing | 1 |
| Cargo Loss | |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage | |
| Insured Loss | |
| Salvage/Cleanup Cost |
Key facts
- An Tai Jiang, a Hong Kong-registered asphalt tanker with 25 crew, was carrying 4,080 tonnes of asphalt from Ulsan to Ningbo when the fire occurred at about 12:30 local time on 9 January 2009.
- The Hong Kong Marine Department identified a main-engine crankcase explosion as the most probable cause. Hot oil mist and/or flammable vapour ignited and the fire spread from the engine room into the accommodation spaces.
- The report confirms the deaths of the Third Engineer and one motorman. A second motorman fell into the sea and was recorded as lost at sea; the web report does not document recovery, so the page records one missing person.
- The crankcase oil-mist detector and engine-room fire alarm system were defective. The fire caused serious damage to the engine room and accommodation, but the investigation found no oil pollution.
- The crew was evacuated or rescued from the lifeboat, salvage tugs extinguished the smouldering fire, and the vessel was towed to Ningbo on 11-13 January.
Narrative
An Tai Jiang loaded 4,080 tonnes of asphalt at Ulsan and departed for Ningbo on 7 January 2009. At about 12:30 local time on 9 January, while the vessel was under way about 120 nautical miles east of the mouth of the Changjiang River, the Second Officer saw dense smoke at the funnel and was told that the main-engine exhaust duct was on fire. The engine was stopped, but the fire spread rapidly from the engine room into the accommodation spaces.
The Hong Kong Marine Department's investigation identified a main-engine crankcase explosion as the most probable cause. It found that the oil-mist detector and fire-detection system had failed to alert the engine-room crew at an early stage. The report also found that the port engine-room door did not contain the fire effectively and that firefighting, rescue, training, equipment maintenance, and safety-management implementation were inadequate.
The crew attempted boundary cooling and released carbon dioxide, but the linked release system was disconnected and the gas had to be released manually. At about 13:00 the port lifeboat was lowered, but its propulsion engine did not start. The Master ordered the crew back at about 13:30; seven remained in the boat. When its mooring ropes parted at about 14:43, two people fell while trying to reboard. One trainee was recovered, while a motorman was lost at sea. The three people who remained in the lifeboat were later rescued by a Korean cargo ship.
The salvage tug Dong Hai Jiu 112 arrived at about 21:30. The salvage team extinguished the smouldering fire on 11 January, when the bodies of the Third Engineer and another motorman were found. Two tugs then began towing An Tai Jiang to Ningbo, where she arrived on 13 January. The report recorded serious damage to the engine room and accommodation and no oil pollution.
The investigation therefore confirms two deaths and records one motorman lost at sea. It does not document recovery of that person, so the page keeps the casualty split as two fatalities and one missing person.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2009-01-07 | An Tai Jiang departed Ulsan for Ningbo with 4,080 tonnes of asphalt. |
| 2009-01-09 about 12:30 local | Dense smoke and an engine-room fire were observed at 31°25.7′N, 124°35.8′E; the main engine was stopped. |
| 2009-01-09 12:34-12:51 local | The fire spread into accommodation spaces; boundary cooling was attempted and carbon dioxide was released manually. |
| 2009-01-09 about 13:00 local | The crew lowered the port lifeboat, but its propulsion engine did not start. |
| 2009-01-09 about 13:30-14:43 local | The Master ordered the crew back; the lifeboat later drifted, two people fell while reboarding, and one motorman was lost at sea. |
| 2009-01-09 about 21:30 local | Salvage tug Dong Hai Jiu 112 arrived. |
| 2009-01-11 | Salvage personnel extinguished the smouldering fire, found two bodies, and began towing with a second tug. |
| 2009-01-13 | An Tai Jiang arrived at No. 9 Berth, Zhenhai Port, Ningbo. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Main-engine and lubrication-system problems | Suspected | The Hong Kong Marine Department identified a long-standing problem in the main engine and lubrication system and a crankcase explosion as the most probable cause. |
| Defective detection and containment safeguards | Confirmed finding | The oil-mist detector and engine-room fire alarm failed; the port entrance door might have failed to close or might not have been properly closed, allowing the fire to spread. |
| Inadequate emergency training and leadership | Confirmed finding | The investigation found no fire or abandon-ship drills for the three months before the casualty, false drill entries, poor firefighting coordination, and weak leadership. |
| Poor maintenance of lifesaving and firefighting equipment | Confirmed finding | The lifeboat engines, emergency fire pump, quick-closing valves, and carbon-dioxide release arrangement had material defects or maintenance problems. |
Investigation
The Hong Kong Marine Department report of investigation, Preliminary Inquiry No. 1 of 2009, investigated the engine-room fire. It identified a main-engine crankcase explosion as the most probable cause, recorded serious damage but no oil pollution, and made recommendations on equipment maintenance, drills, safety-management audits, and identifying substandard ships.
References
- Hong Kong Marine Department: Report of investigation into the engine room fire on An Tai Jiang
- Hong Kong Marine Department: Summary of the An Tai Jiang engine-room fire
Related
- East China Sea
- Hong Kong Marine Department
- COSCO Southern Asphalt Shipping Company Limited
- An Tai Jiang
- Safety Management System
- Fire