200558 Bunker Pipe Holed

Bunker Pipe Holed
MARS Report 200558

During bunkering, one of our vessels was detained and delayed for oil pollution. Oil was found leaking from under the water surface along the vessel on the port side aft. Bunkering was stopped immediately to locate the source of the leak. Attempts by the ship's staff to determine the cause of leak were of no avail. The port authorities and P & I surveyors attempts to determine the cause of the leak were also unsuccessful. Finally, divers were engaged to check if the leakage was from the shipside.

The divers reported that the source of leakage was from the vessel and oil was coming out of the accommodation's grey water discharge. Having established the oil leak was from the vessel, the ship's staff carried out a thorough investigation to determine the source of leakage. After prolonged investigation, the leakage in the bunker pipe was located in the tally room behind a wooden panel. The leaking oil from the holed bunker pipe found its way through a drain pipe in the side channel into the overboard discharge line causing the oil pollution. The bunker pipe, passing through the tally room, was rusted and holed behind the wooden panel in the tally room.

Although the procedures require the bunker pipes to be pressure tested annually, we can conclude that it had either not been done or was done but without any care. Had the pressure test of the pipe been done diligently, the rusted pipe would have been discovered and this unpleasant incident could have been averted.

As a measure to avoid similar incidents in future, all vessels are required to carry out a proper pressure test of the bunker lines annually without fail. The pressure test should be conducted by blanking the pipe near the transfer pump, filling the pipe with water up to the bunker flange on the deck and subjecting the pipe to air pressure of at least 5 kg/sq.cm. The full length of the bunker pipe should then be examined for its condition. Only after completion of this procedure should the date of the pressure test be stencilled on the pipe and the date entered in the logbook.