A catastrophic engine failure led to a fire aboard a towing vessel on the Tennessee River last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports.
An engine-room fire broke out on January 30, 2024, aboard the towing vessel Johnny M, which was pushing four barges on the Tennessee River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky. The six crewmembers aboard were unable to extinguish the fire using the CO2 fixed-fire-extinguishing system and abandoned ship to a Good Samaritan vessel.
Local fire departments extinguished the fire. No injuries or pollution were reported. Damage to the vessel totaled $3 million.
NTSB investigators found that the vessel was not outfitted with covers for the main engine combustion air intake openings. When the port main engine failed catastrophically, exposed ducting in the engine room was consumed by the resulting fire, allowing oxygen in and carbon dioxide from the fixed-fire-extinguishing system to escape.
“The flexible ducting providing combustion air to the main engines on board the Johnny M extended from the engine stacks on the main deck down to the engine room and did not have any insulation or other barriers to prevent the passage of smoke, heat, and fire—known as structural fire protection,” the report said.
“Identifying potentially unprotected openings and ducting into a fire-protected space and incorporating structural fire protection can ensure the effectiveness of a fixed fire-extinguishing system and prevent the spread of fire.”
