Hong Kong released a notice about a fatal explosion on board a coastal cargo vessel

The Marine Department of the Government of Hong Kong has released a notice about a fatal engine room fire explosion accident on board a Mainland-registered coastal cargo vessel.

The Incident

Upon completing a crew change, a coastal cargo vessel registered in Mainland China passed through Hong Kong waters.

The chief engineer arranged for a mechanic trainee to assist the second engineer in welding and repairing a leaking pipeline of a heavy fuel oil settling tank in the engine room.

An explosion occurred when the mechanic trainee left to get more welding rods, resulting in the death of the second engineer.

The investigation revealed non-compliance with the Safety Management System (SMS) regarding naked firework instructions and inadequate safety training for new crew members.

Lessons Learnt

To prevent similar incidents, ship management, masters, officers, and crew members should:

• (a) Ensure crew compliance with shipboard SMS naked firework instructions.
• (b) Ensure crew compliance with job responsibilities and familiarization training for effective safety training of new joiners.
• (c) Enhance crew members' safety awareness of naked fireworks.
• (d) Ensure vessels comply with minimum safe manning requirements for qualified crew members.

This notice was released on 8 November 2023.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):

Fatal Engine Room Fire Explosion Accident on Board a Mainland-Registered Coastal Cargo Vessel