MISS DOROTHY

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NTSB Report into engine room fire published

The engine room fire aboard the 'Miss Dorothy' on March 17, 2021, started when diesel fuel spray hit an uninsulated section of the engine’s exhaust system, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on March 8, 2022. The tug was pushing 14 barges upbound on the Lower Mississippi River, north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when the fire broke out. The eight crewmembers aboard briefly attempted to fight the fire but were unsuccessful and evacuated to the barges. The vessel was declared a total loss at $2.4 million. According to the NTSB’s Marine Investigation Report 22/05, shortly after midnight, fire alarms began to sound in the pilothouse and throughout the vessel. The pilot saw smoke that grew in intensity very quickly, and flames coming from the starboard main engine in the engine room. The crew attempted to use fire hoses and handheld extinguishers to fight the fire. Shortly after, the chief engineer activated the ventilation shutdown and pulled the emergency fuel oil shutoff for the fuel tank that supplied the starboard main engine. However, air continued to be drawn in through open engine room doors and open or broken windows, and the shutoff valve remained open because the shutoff did not function as intended and the fire continued to grow despite the crew’s efforts. The captain ordered the crew to abandon ship, and the crew was rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel, which then secured the tow against the bank. The fire was extinguished several hours later. Regulations for towing vessels state that “piping and machinery components that exceed 220°C (428°F), including fittings, flanges, valves, exhaust manifolds, and turbochargers, must be insulated.” Investigators found that the exhaust header leading from the individual cylinder heads to the exhaust manifold in the Miss Dorothy—which were subject to temperatures greater than 428°F (often higher than 600°F)—near the suspected origin of the fire were uninsulated. NTSB investigators concluded it is likely that the uninsulated exhaust header acted as an ignition point for the atomized or spraying diesel fuel. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the engine room fire was the ignition of spraying diesel fuel from a main engine’s fuel system onto an uninsulated section of the engine’s exhaust system. Contributing to the severity of the fire and damage to the vessel was the inability to effectively secure ventilation to the space and fuel to the affected engine. Full report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2205.pdf

Tug on fire

Several crews responded to a blaze on the 'Miss Dorothy' on the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge early on March 17, 2021. The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the US Coast Guard around 2 a.m. The Baton Rouge Fire Departmentwas then contacted by EBRSO. The seven crew members boarded another ship safely. Members of EBRSO, BRFD, St. George Fire Department, and ExxonMobil Fire Department assisted in putting out the fire. The fire was under control just before 9 a.m. No hazardous materials were released and no injuries were reported, but the ship was badly damaged. The US Coast Guard investigated the fire. Report with photo: https://www.wafb.com/2021/03/17/multiple-crews-work-together-put-out-blaze-tugboat-no-injuries-reported/