(Updated) The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have now issued their report concerning the fire and explosion on board Yeoman Bontrup at Glensanda on 2 July 2010.
A one-page synopsis of the report contains the following core paragraphs:
‘A routine post-discharge survey identified the need for repairs to Yeoman Bontrup’s cargo discharge hopper, which required hotwork on arrival at the remote Glensanda Quarry on Loch Linnhe.
‘At 15.19, a fire was discovered near the bottom of the vertical cargo conveyor belt. Although attempts were made to extinguish the fire, it spread to the adjacent engine room. Overwhelmed by the scale of the fire, the crew evacuated the ship. The fire spread rapidly to the accommodation and into the steering gear compartment, which contained a wide variety of ship’s-use chemicals. A violent explosion followed which
tore the poop deck from the ship.
‘The most likely cause of the fire was the ignition of the vertical conveyor belt by hot debris from the hopper repair work.’
The reference in he first of these paragraphs to ‘hotwork’ repairs to the cargo discharge hopper and in the sentence above to the likely cause of the fire would seem to substantiate For Argyll’s exclusive report at the time that welding to the conveyor belt was thought to have started the fire.
The complete report (main report, three groups of annexes, and a safety flyer) can be accessed through this page.
The only real surprise in the report is the discovery of radioactive (Cobalt-60) sources in disused measuring equipment on board.
(Update: additional information) On the radioactive sources, the report concentrates on the facts that, although their presence on board was (in theory) known to the vessel’s owner and manager, there was no mention of them in the ship’s Safety Management System. In consequence, no briefing about any radiation hazard could be given to visitors to the ship, including fire-fighters, fire investigation personnel etc.
The steel outer casing of one of the sources had previously corroded through. The lead shielding of that unit was therefore presumably drained from the outer casing, when melted by the fire. Fortunately, the inner casings of both sources remained intact, containing the actual radioactive material within the gadgets.
The report notes that, if the inner casings had been breached, there would have been a risk that radioactive particles might become airborne, or be carried into seawater (by discharge of the fire-fighting water), or be ingested by fire-fighters etc.
Update on Yeoman Bontrup
The Remontowa shiprepair yard at Gdansk has now removed the entire superstructure from Yeoman Bontrup.
Photographs can be found here and here.
Hugh McFarlane