Crewmembers were able to limit damages during a fire aboard a towing vessel crossing Louisiana’s Lake Salvador after a hose ruptured and sprayed hydraulic oil onto a hot engine exhaust manifold and turbocharger.
The incident happened at about 1332 local time on Feb. 17, 2023, as the 59-foot-long Desperado was near mile 20 of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Bayou Perot. No pollution or injuries were reported, and damage to vessel totaled $30,000.
According to an interview with investigators on Feb. 22, 2023, Capt. Warren Soileau was the owner and operator of Desperado. He had 30 years of maritime experience and had worked on at least 20 other inland towing vessels.
Soileau said that on the day of the incident, he and his two deck hands were dispatched to the Tidewater Dock in Larose, La. As they crossed Lake Salvador, they maintained an average speed of 6 knots until an alarm went off.
Soileau recalled seeing smoke as he looked aft. He left the wheelhouse, shut down the main engines and went down below to check the engine space.
“And there was a lot of smoke coming out of the engine room, so I took the cover off the wheel unit and proceeded to try to put the fire out, but I wasn’t able to enter down the stairs of the engine room because the flames were starting to rise up,” Soileau said.
Soileau sprayed the fire with a semiportable, 50-pound dry chemical extinguisher before closing the engine room door.
“I alerted the boys to start closing the hatches and shut off the fuel, which they did,” Soileau said. “We sprayed the chemical in the hatches until we ran out and then we closed the hatch, the last hatch, sealed it all off.”
Soileau went back up to the main deck and made a mayday call over the radio. He was able to reach the U.S. Coast Guard, which dispatched a helicopter to the scene.
Soileau and his crew put on life vests, grabbed the logbook and essentials, and boarded Miss Jessica, a crew boat that heard the distress call.
After 15 to 20 minutes, Soileau reboarded Desperado and dropped the port spud to anchor the vessel about 50 yards from some wetlands. He then got back onto the crew boat. Soileau said he and his crew left the scene when they no longer saw smoke.
On the way to Tidewater Dock, Soileau saw fire and rescue boats passing by. He told investigators that because of the wind and 3-to-4-foot waves, not all the boats were able to make it to Desperado.
Officials at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the fire was already out when a responding fireboat crew arrived at the scene.
NTSB officials determined that the probable cause of the fire aboard Desperado was a hydraulic hose that likely exceeded its bend radius, eventually causing the hose to rupture. This resulted in hydraulic oil spraying onto a hot engine exhaust manifold and turbocharger and igniting, according to a summary of the investigation.
“The lack of adherence to the hose manufacturer’s guidance on installation likely resulted in the hose exceeding its bend radius, rupturing, and spraying fuel, which led to the fire,” the NTSB said in its report
The report also shows that the line was ruptured near the hose end crimped fitting. The single-braid hose was manufactured in Mexico in 2018, but it is not known when it was installed on the vessel.
The hydraulic steering system had been refurbished by licensed professionals in late 2022 and maintenance was routinely performed, Soileau told investigators. He and his two deck hands surveyed the damage the day after the fire, and he found the ruptured hydraulic line on the port-side steering pump directional manifold valve.
NTSB officials said that mariners and technicians who design, install and maintain systems should follow the manufacturer’s guidance on the minimum bend radius for a hydraulic hose. Not doing so can place excessive stress on the hose and reduce its ability to withstand pressure.
They say that actions to avoid hose damage or failure include clamping a hose in place to provide support, rerouting a hose assembly by installing fittings and adapters, and using a two-braid hose.