WSF WENATCHEE

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Report: Faulty fastener caused fire

On April 22, 2021, an engine failure on the 'Wenatchee' near Bainbridge Island, Washington, started a fire that caused more than $3.8 million in damage. The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded its investigation into the incident and tied the fire aboard the Wenatchee to an improperly tightened fastener. The fire occurred during a sea trial in the Puget Sound after the fastener failure led to components from the engine being ejected and causing a fire in the engine room. Luckily, none of the 13 crew members were injured, and their swift action prevented it from being worse. The issue dates back to Nov. 2020, when the 'Wenatchee' was taken out of service for maintenance. During maintenance, two of the four main diesel engines were overhauled by factory-trained technicians. In Feb 2021, a crew conducted engine tests following the overhauls. Alarms went off in the No. 3 main engine, and crew members found pieces of a cigarette lighter in the lube oil system. The maintenance technicians returned, drained the oil and searched the lube oil system for two days. They recovered about 70% of the cigarette lighter's plastic and metal components and told Washington State Ferries that it was fine to run the engine. However, none of the engines were run again until the vessel headed for a sea trial. In April, during the post-maintenance sea trial, the connecting rod assembly in the No. 3 main engine failed and ejected components that breached the crankcase and ignited hot pressurized gasses. The crew contained the fire by stopping all fuel supply and ventilation to the engine room and isolating the space. Engineers examined the lube oil system to see if the cigarette lighter could have caused the engine failure. Although they found parts of the lighter throughout the system, they found nothing that would suggest the lighter parts started the fire. The NTSB found that the probable cause of the mechanical failure was the connecting rod assembly that came loose due to insufficient tightening (torquing) of a lower basket bolt during the previous engine overhaul. The NTSB stressed that maintenance technicians should use a calibrated torque wrench in compliance with the manufacturer's recommendations and verify that all required torque requirements had been completed.

NTSB report: Loose bolt triggered engine fire

The engine fire aboard the 'Wenatchee' on April 22, 2021, was caused by an insufficiently torqued bolt, which set off a chain reaction of broken parts and overheating, said a National Transportation Safety Board report released on March 15, 2022. There were no injuries during the accident which happened on a test sailing after a series of repairs. However, the fire caused $3.8 million in damage and kept the 'Wenatchee' out of service for nine months, which aggravated crew shortages, a lack of ships and canceled trips across Puget Sound. The NTSB summary report stated that an oiler discovered white smoke in an engine room while the ferry was heading toward Eagle Harbor at full power. Another crew member near the control panels saw fire, smoke and debris flying everywhere. The captain observed black smoke billowing from the stack. Engineers found a large rod and piston strewn on the steel engine-room floor. Forensic investigations found two broken bolts and another that unfastened while the engine was running. They were supposed to be torqued to 75 foot-pounds. By magnifying the grooves, engineers confirmed the “backed off” or unfastened nut hadn’t been tightened enough, which led to other parts misaligning, then a loss of lubricating oil. Hot gases spewed into the engine room and exploded. The crew rapidly shut all doors, fans and valves in the area to starve the area of fuel and oxygen, while five crew donned firefighting gear. But they didn’t need to apply water or carbon dioxide. The technicians worked for a Seattle-based marine contractor. A claim has been filed with the state’s insurer to pay for the damage, Sterling said. The 'Wenatchee returned' to service on the Bainbridge Island-Seattle routein late January. Full report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2206.pdf

WSF in trouble after engine fire

The 'Wenatchee' could be out of service for months after a newly rebuilt engine failed and started a fire during a sea trial starting from Seattle. With few backup options, Washington State Ferries plans to shuffle boats starting May 13, 2021, which means smaller-capacity ships on several runs. The Seattle-Bainbridge Island run will possibly by served by the 120-car ferry 'Issaquah', normally serving the Vashon-Fauntleroy-Southworth route, which was supposed to see three-boat service restored next week. Instead, for at least a month, the triangle route will get a downgrade with a smaller capacity ferry as one of its two boats. The Port Townsend-Coupeville run will have to wait another month for the restoration of the two-boat service. Mukilteo-Clinton will get a smaller ship for most of the summer, and one of the Seattle-Bremerton ferries will only carry 64 cars and go slower, canceling a midday round trip.