About 0615 local time on March 18, 2018, a fire broke out in the engine room of the commercial fishing vessel Ole Betts Sea while it was trawling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Unable to contain the fire, the crew of three abandoned the vessel to a liferaft about an hour later and were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel. After burning for about 16 hours, the vessel sank approximately 18 miles northeast of the island of Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, Florida. No pollution or injuries were reported. The vessel was a total loss valued at $200,000.

​​The probable cause of the fire and sinking of fishing vessel Ole Betts Sea was a mechanical failure of the generator’s diesel engine, which led to a fuel-fed fire that burned out of control.

​​Remote Fuel Oil and Lube Oil Cut-Offs

Following the initiation of an engine room fire, it is imperative to remove the source of available fuel to the fire found in the fuel oil and lube oil systems. In this accident, the vessel had no remote emergency cut-off valves for fuel and lube oil systems outside the engine room, and thus fuel to the fire could not be stopped and the vessel was eventually consumed by the flames. Vessel designers, builders, owners, and operators are encouraged to install, ​​regularly test,