What Happened
What Happened
On January 30, 2024, about 0330 local time, an engine room fire broke out aboard the towing vessel Johnny M, which was pushing four barges on the Tennessee River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky. The six crewmembers aboard were unable to extinguish the fire and abandoned ship to a Good Samaritan vessel. Local fire departments extinguished the fire. There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. Damage to the vessel totaled $3 million.
What We Found
What We Found
We determined that the probable cause of the grounding of the engine room fire on the towing vessel Johnny M was a catastrophic main engine failure that caused the venting and ignition of hot atomized lube oil. Contributing to the ineffectiveness of the carbon dioxide fixed fire extinguishing system was the lack of structural fire protection for the main engines’ combustion air intake ducting, which allowed oxygen to enter the engine room once the fire consumed the ducting.
What We Recommended
Structural Fire Protection
The flexible ducting providing combustion air to the main engines on board the Johnny M extended from the engine stacks on the main deck down to the engine room and did not have any insulation or other barriers to prevent the passage of smoke, heat, and fire—known as structural fire protection. This type of unprotected ducting has the potential to provide a pathway for fixed fire extinguishing agents, such as carbon dioxide, to escape and air to enter the engine room if the ducting is compromised by a fire within the space. Identifying potentially unprotected openings and ducting into a fire-protected space and incorporating structural fire protection can ensure the effectiveness of a fixed fire extinguishing system and prevent the spread of fire.
