The fire that broke out in the engine room of Canada’s oldest vessel operating on the Great Lakes in 2023, the Cuyaoga, was a disaster waiting to happen, according to a new report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). The report cites a history of repeated fuel leaks and dangers that were often resolved with casual repairs on fuel injection pipes.
Built in 1943 in Ohio by the American Ship Building Company, Cuyahoga was a historic bulk freighter launched as the J. Burton Ayers to transport iron ore during World War II. She was later converted into a self-unloading ship and was renamed Cuyahoga in 1995 by Lower Lakes Towing, part of Rand Logistics. Her original steam plant was finally converted to diesel in 2000, and she continued to maintain seasonal services on the Lakes transporting dry bulk commodities like coal, salt, grain, and crushed stone.
On May 23, 2023, the Cuyahoga left Marblehead, Ohio, on a regular voyage bound for Kingsville. Three hours into the voyage, a fire ignited in the engine room, forcing the 20 crewmembers to initiate emergency responses. The 620-foot (189-meter) vessel was loaded with 11,400 metric tonnes of granular crushed stone.
To avert a disaster, the crew responded by cutting the fuel supply to the main engine before attempting to activate the vessel’s carbon dioxide (CO2) fixed fire suppression system remotely, which was without success. An attempt to locally activate the system also failed and resulted in the cylinder room flooding with CO2. However, due to the cessation of fuel flow, the engine stopped, and the fire extinguished itself soon after as the vessel was anchored north of Pelee Island, Ontario.
TSB investigators established that the fire was caused by fuel spraying from a disconnected injection line onto exposed hot surfaces of the engine’s exhaust gas piping. It emerged that after an earlier repair, the retaining clamps were not reinstalled on the fuel injection lines, increasing the effects of engine vibration, something that made the lines susceptible to loosening. TSB terms it one of the many casual repairs that were undertaken on the aging bulker.
Following the earlier engine repair, recurring minor leaks were addressed as routine maintenance without investigating the underlying cause. Although the practice deviated from the manufacturer’s specifications, the crew was unaware as they lacked regular access to updated maintenance and torque specifications from the engine manufacturers.
The investigation established that while vibration is inherent in all diesel engines due to various factors, the Cuyahoga’s main engine systems showed the effects of excessive engine vibration. To reduce the effects of vibration on the fuel injection line fittings, retaining clamps had been added to secure the fuel injection lines to the cylinder heads, making the lines more rigid and reducing mechanical vibration in the fuel injection lines.
Reference : TSB: Fuel Leak Due to Casual Repair Caused Fire on Canada’s Oldest Laker