Engine Room Fire aboard Towing Vessel City of Cleveland

What Happened

The towing vessel City of Cleveland was pushing 18 cargo barges when it experienced a main engine failure followed by an engine room fire.

What We Found
The cause of the fire was the catastrophic failure of the port main engine resulting from the failure of a connecting rod assembly. If the vessel had a fixed fire-extinguishing system for the engine room, and a means to close the ventilation and open windows in the engine room from the outside, the fire may have been able to be extinguished. Firefighting efforts were also hampered by the loss of electrical power to the single accessible fire pump.

Lessons Learned
Engine rooms contain multiple fuel and ignition sources, making the spaces especially vulnerable to rapidly spreading fires. Designers and operators of towing vessels should evaluate fire hazards and provide effective means to mitigate them. Operators should have equipment and procedures in place to quickly contain and suppress engine room fires before they can spread to other spaces and/or cause a loss of propulsion and electrical power.

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