fracture – Officer of the Watch

Incident information on Accident Caused by Fractured Exhaust Gas Boiler Circulating Pump

This incident occurred while at sea when crewmembers were switching from one circulating pump of the exhaust gas boiler to the other, as part of normal operation. The connected pump fractured and released considerable amount of hot water and steam.

Corrugated bulkheads are generally utilised as the boundary between cargo tanks of small and medium sized product or chemical tankers. The corrugation provides benefits such as simplified cleaning which is highly desirable due to the operational profile of these vessel types. Properly designed, constructed and maintained corrugated bulkhead structures can give many years of safe and satisfactory service. On the other hand the complexity of structural configuration and difficulties of manufacture can lead to significant defects occurring which may be costly to repair. The following information is an extract from a Tanker Structure Co-operative Forum (TSCF) paper which reviews corrugated bulkhead design practice and provides details of damage experience from TSCF members.