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Ferry fire started when fuel leaked on hot exhaust

Marine Accident Investigation Branch Thermographic image of a main engine on Stena Europe shows bright in the centre, with bluey/purple on the sides Marine Accident Investigation Branch
This thermographic image of a main engine on Stena Europe is in the MAIB report

An engine room blaze on a ferry from Ireland to Wales broke out when fuel from a loose pipe leaked onto a hot exhaust, an official report has found.

Emergency services were scrambled to help the Stena Line service as it travelled between Rosslare, County Wexford, and Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, in February last year.

Emergency services were initially alerted at night when the Stena Europe was about two nautical miles (2.3 miles) off Fishguard.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said Stena had reviewed its safety management systems and taken action to mitigate against future fires.

The report said when the fire started the protection in place was ineffective.

"The original fuel pipe connections had previously been identified as a system weakness, but the manufacturer's recommended modifications had not been fitted to the engine," the report said.

Stephen Kearney Emergency services at FishguardStephen Kearney
The fire on an Ireland to Wales ferry led to a large emergency services callout to Fishguard

The crew, it added, was not properly trained to inspect engine fuel systems and temperature measuring equipment to monitor the exhaust insulation did not effectively identify hot spots.

The report recommended a paper be submitted to the International Maritime Organization proposing introducing a requirement to use thermographic equipment to spot exposed hot surfaces.

It was also recommended to Stena that it introduced thermal imaging cameras to do this.

Stena Line ship in water
The fire was in an engine room on board Stena Europe

Recommendations have also been made to the firm to review its defect reporting system, provide training to improve equipment inspections and promote details of this accident to ships in its fleet.

The report said Stena had:

  • Modified external fuel pipes on a main engine, repaired or replaced shielding around external fuel systems and hot surfaces
  • Fitted anti-splash tape to joints on low-pressure fuel systems on all Stena Europe's operational engines
  • Engaged a contractor to undertake a thermographic survey

It had also, it said, undertaken a review of company safety management systems and implemented a review process to manage service bulletins and letters from engine makers.

The company said it had "fully engaged with the MAIB" regularly since the fire "to ensure a full and accurate report".

"Now that the final report has been published, we will ensure the recommendations contained in it are shared across our fleet groups as a learning opportunity," it said.

It said the Stena Europe had now left the region and the report will be shared with its new management company.