[BITList] Engine breakdown

[M.j. Feltham]

Friday, 23 August 2013 11:51 
The ATSB is warning ship operators of the importance of 
heeding service advice from machinery manufacturers, and of 
maintaining all associated documentation. This reminder comes 
after a serious incident in the Coral Sea. 
On 18 May 2012, ID Integrity was sailing from Shanghai, bound 
for Townsville, where it was going to load a cargo of sugar. While transiting the Coral Sea in heavy seas, the ship’s main 
engine shut down after its fuel pump reversing mechanism came 
free and jammed. This caused the camshaft to bend and slip in 
a drive coupling which resulted in the camshaft being out of 
timing and the engine unable to be restarted. 
The ship’s master reported the situation to the Rescue 
Coordination Centre. The ship was in no immediate danger 
(about 100 miles to the east of Osprey Reef) and the engineers 
searched for the cause of the main engine stoppage. In the 
meantime, the ship’s managers negotiated a commercial towage 
agreement and two tugs were dispatched to assist ID Integrity. 
As ID Integrity approached Shark Reef, it became apparent that 
none of the tugs would reach the ship before it was likely to 
pass over the Reef. Other contingencies, including the use of the 
ship’s anchors, were considered. It was agreed that the master 
would de-ballast the ship to reduce its aft draught to 5.0 m, 
increasing the ship’s under keel clearance to the maximum 
possible. The minimum charted depth for Shark Reef is 8.1 m. 
ID Integrity drifted across the southern end of Shark Reef in 
waters about 20 m deep, about 4 miles south of the charted 8.1 
m depth. The ship was now about 60 miles from the eastern 
edge of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and was expected to 
close on it in less than 24 hours. 
At 0900 on 20 May, the tug PT Kotor rendezvoused with ID 
Integrity about 35 miles to the east of the Great Barrier Reef 
Marine Park. In the rough seas, it took about an hour to connect 
a tow line. The bulk carrier was towed to Cairns for repairs. 
The ATSB found that the engine manufacturer had identified the 
need for owners and operators to check the fuel pump reversing 
mechanism for cracks and secureness and provided this advice 
in service letters. However, this advice had not been included in 
the engine manuals or planned maintenance system on board 
ID Integrity. As a result, over time and despite regular 
inspections, the system had deteriorated and cracks had 
developed in the mechanism undetected. This led to the failure 
of a fuel pump reversing link on 18 May.