200869 Bunker hose rupture and pollution

One of our vessels experienced a failure of bunker hose while bunkering. As a result, about five barrels of fuel oil were spilt on the bunker barge deck, vessel's ship side and the area around the ship's manifold, while some oil was noticed to have gone in the water.

The bunker hose failed very close to the manifold of the bunker barge. The hose had been sighted by the second engineer prior to starting the bunkering operation and he reported it to be in apparently good condition. However without detailed examination, it would have not been possible to determine any existing faults in the hose, especially at the end that was connected to the barge's manifold.

The ship's engineers kept a record of manifold pressure during the bunkering operation and ensured the pressure remained steady and within safe limits without any pressure surge. It was also confirmed that there was no mis-operation of tank and line valves at any time.

Lessons learned
Always verify that the bunker hose to be used by the supply barge is accompanied by a valid test certificate before commencement of the bunkering operation.
When lining up for bunkering, confirm that the bunker tank filling valves are fully open according to the bunkering plan.