An explosion that injured three crew on a ship berthed at Bluff happened while engineers were cleaning a boiler that had not cooled down, New Zealand's Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has found, RNZ reports.
The blast on the Malta-flagged MV Olivia in May last year left two crew with serious burns. In its final report, TAIC said the boiler had probably failed to relight because of a faulty air-intake flap, a defective ignition transformer and soot build-up. Disturbed hot soot then likely ignited leftover fuel as compressed air was blown in.
The commission said senior engineers were very likely fatigued after long hours repairing the ship's generators, which affected their judgement. It identified weak use of the vessel's safety management system and a lack of guidance on managing crew during intensive work.
Source: RNZ
