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Editor: Rod Sullivan
Profession: Maritime Attorney

Category: Boat, Ship and Marina Fires

Twenty-one men died 200 miles off the coast of New Jersey in February 2004 when the M/V Bow Mariner exploded shortly after discharging a cargo of volatile petroleum product called MTBE--Methyl Tert Butyl Ether. The ship sank in about an hour an a half. Only six men, including the Captain and Chief Engineer, who abandoned ship 10 minutes after the explosion, survived.

Now the Coast Guard has issued its final report which puts blame on the decision of the Captain to open 22 cargo tanks for gas freeing. The Coast Guard says that the gas freeing operation caused flammable gases to accumulate on deck, leading to an explosion. It was quickly followed by two more explosions which racked the ship's structure.

The report has some good suggestions, like supplying seamen with immersion suits to prevent against hypothermia. However, its conclusions about the cause and origin of the fire are implausible. Generally, a ship moving through the ocean at 15 knots will not experience any accumulation of flammable vapors on deck because the air flow simply takes the vapors over the side. An explosion inside a tank is more likely.

While the initial fireball was observed on the port side forward of the manifold, the ship immediately listed to starboard. This would tend to indicate a rupture of a starboard tank with a rapid inflow of water. The crew had just returned from its dinner break and was restarting tank cleaning operations.

There are a few possible ignition sources but a spark from a tool, or static electricity generated spark would seem to be the most likely.

The final report makes interesting reading.