Reliability of the engine -　ship fuel system interface

摘要

The incident was reported as follows: "Failure of the threads securing the fuel pressure regulating valve to the fuel manifold adapter caused a quantity of gas oil to be sprayed over the running engine. Fortunately, the engine was stopped immediately and the fuel did not ignite. A combination of engine vibration and side loading from a poorly fitted hose connection is likely to have caused the threads to wear on one side and eventually allow fuel leakage." The vessel concerned was a recently delivered new-build. The oil egress described occurred in a part of the system and at a pressure that would have been unlikely to set off an alarm had the vessel been operating "unmanned". Therefore the first alarm to activate would, in all probability, have been the fire alarm.