The U.K. Marine Accident (click here) Investigation Branch’s (MAIB) report on two explosions of gas released from a cargo of unprocessed incinerator bottom ash on Nortrader while at anchorage in Plymouth Sound on January 13, 2017 has been published.
The first explosion was in the forecastle store and the second in the cargo hold. The chief engineer, in the forecastle store working on the emergency fire pump at the time, suffered second degree burns requiring four months to recover. The vessel suffered extensive damage putting it out of service for over three months.
The MAIB investigation established that the explosions were caused by the ignition of hydrogen gas released from the cargo. Prior to this accident, there had been 34 similar shipments of incinerator bottom ash from Plymouth to the Netherlands and, despite it not being listed in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code, no steps had been taken to seek approval from the competent authorities for its carriage. The investigation also found that the testing protocols in place for assessing if the waste was capable of producing flammable gases were inappropriate and inadequate....
