Transport Malta’ s Maritime Safety Investigation Unit has issued a report detailing the causes and responses to an oil spill that occurred on the vessel FT Sturla during cargo operations in the port of Genoa, Italy, on August 21, 2023. The incident resulted in a“low sulfur fuel oil spill“(LSFO) on the vessel’s deck, and was caused by the failure of a bolt on a cargo manifold blind flange valve.
The incident on the FT Sturla
The FT Sturla, berthed in Genoa to discharge its cargo of LSFO, commenced operations at 10:30 am after the relevant checks and preparations, with discharge pressure reaching 6.8 bar at the vessel’s manifold. However, at 12:30 hours, one of the first class deckhands reported an oil leak in the port side pipe. This event was immediately reported to the Cargo Control Room(CCR), and emergency measures were activated to initiate containment of the spill.
[post_relacionado]The investigation revealed that the oil leak was caused by a fracture of a bolt in the top cap of a valve of cargo tank No. 5 on the port manifold. According to the laboratory analysis, the fracture was associated with stress corrosion cracking (SCC), a phenomenon that affects stainless steel materials in wet marine environments. The corrosion manifested as transgranular cracks, which propagated rapidly due to the combination of an aggressive environment and static stress in the component.
Following the incident, the company responsible for the FT Sturla replaced the bolts on all blind flange valves on the vessel’s manifolds to prevent similar failures in the future. In addition, the implementation of these safety measures was crucial to ensure the integrity of the loading and unloading operations, as well as to minimize the risks of contamination in the future.
The spill was quickly contained and managed by the crew, who installed containment booms and began cleanup of the spilled oil. The quick response prevented the oil from spreading beyond the vessel’s deck and causing further environmental damage.
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Source: MSIU
Photo: Özata Shipyard Production