Transportation Safety Board of Canada releases investigation report into vessel fire near Windsor, Ont.

The vessel eventually drifted to into Canadian waters and is anchored in Windsor on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. (Courtesy Windsor Port Authority)

Following an investigation into a fire aboard the bulk carrier, 'Tecumseh', near Windsor in 2019, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its report Tuesday saying the incident raises concerns around firefighter resources at some harbours and ports.

A fire broke out in the engine room of the vessel on Dec. 15, 2019 while transiting the Detroit River off Windsor. TSB says there were 16 crew members on board at the time.

The ship dropped both anchors and the crew tried to extinguish the blaze with the carbon dioxide fixed fire suppression system, the TSB report says.

According to TSB, the fire originated after a flexible fuel host assembly supplying fuel to the main engine failed.

About three hours after the fire suppression system was activated, two crew members went into the engine room to check if the fire was still spreading. This re-entry allowed fresh air to get inside the engine room and the fire re-ignited.

The vessel was towed to the Port of Windsor in the early hours of Dec. 16, 2019 for firefighting assistance. According to the report, onshore resources were not trained in marine firefighting and were unable to offer onboard assistance.

“As a consequence, these responders remained on shore providing shore-based boundary cooling while awaiting the arrival of marine trained firefighters, who arrived approximately two hours later. The fire was subsequently extinguished later that same day,” the report states.

The board said in the report it is concerned that some Canadian ports and harbor authorities may not have the proper equipment, training and resources to respond appropriately to shipboard fires that happen within their jurisdiction.

This could result in fires that endanger crews, the public, property and environment, TSB said.

The report states the fire training manual on board was also not specific to the vessel so specific information was to available for use in training, and there was no emergency preparedness plan on board to help guide the crew in fire response actions.

“The investigation also found that the operator’s safety management system had no guidance with respect to documentation, testing, or inspection and maintenance schedules to ensure that the fuel hose assemblies on the main engines were of adequate integrity and remained in working condition,” the report states.

According to the report, a classification survey had been conducted on the ship 24 days before the incident and found no issues with the fuel hose assemblies.

There were also several regulator non-compliances onboard the ship, the investigation notes, including some related to structural integrity.

Following the fire, the owner of the vessel Lower Lakes Towing Ltd. reminded masters and senior officers that apart from exceptional circumstances to not re-enter the engine room or any other action to “compromise the airtightness of the sealed engine room should be made once CO2 is released, until after the temperature drops below the auto-ignition point.”

As for maintenance, the company has changed the software used for planning and tracking. It also appointed third-party auditors for each vessel to look at the planned maintenance system, policies and procedures and training requirements.