The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its accident investigation report into the fatal engine room fire on board the LPG carrier Moritz Schulte while at the Belgian port of Antwerp on August 4, 2020.
On the said date, as cargo offloading operations were underway, a fire broke out in the engine room of the UK-registered Moritz Schulte after the ship's recently promoted third engineer opened an auxiliary engine's pressurised fuel filter, allowing marine gas oil to spray onto an adjacent auxiliary engine's hot exhaust.
The third engineer attempted to stop the fuel leak and tried unsuccessfully to escape from the toxic smoke-filled engine room. He was found an hour later by a shore fire and rescue team but did not recover consciousness and died nine days later in hospital.
The MAIB conducted this investigation on behalf of the Isle of Man Ship Registry in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the MAIB and the Red Ensign Group Category 1 registries of Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and Gibraltar.
Safety issues
Recommendations
The MAIB said that, as a result of the actions already taken, no safety recommendations have been made.