The Story

The total loss of a towboat resulted from a combination of housekeeping practice, vessel arrangement and underestimating the effect of moving, hot particles produced by welding.

While repairing the push knees of a towboat, the welder and fire watch did not notice that the hot metallic and slag particles from the welding were crossing three feet of open deck into the galley. A small gap between the bulkhead and the deck allowed the particles to fall into the oily bilges, where a fire was ignited. Despite efforts to use the available carbon dioxide portable extinguisher, the fire went out of control and the vessel was lost.

Lesson Learned

This casualty demonstrates the importance of anticipating hazards on board a vessel and taking preventive measures. Doors to adjacent spaces, ventilation systems, and structural conditions should be evaluated in order to eliminate hot work as a source of ignition to nearby combustible materials. A fire watch is not enough.