Engine room fire on board MV Maersk Handler

Summary of events

On the evening of 7 April 1984, and while on passage from the drilling rig Maersk Valient to Port Hedland, the offshore supply vessel Maersk Handler suffered a fire in the engine room. The engines were stopped using the remote shut down controls, engine room was sealed, and the halon flooding system activated, which extinguished the fire. However, the vessel was disabled and had to be towed to Port Hedland.

Conclusions

The cause of the fire was traced to a failed blank on the outboard fuel rail of the starboard engine. The blank, on a superfluous nipple, was a 20mm length of rod, held in place by an olive and a compression cap. The compression cap was found to be still firmly in place. As the distortion caused by the olive on piping does not occur with rod, that type of blank is unsuitable where the blank is under pressure.