GAGASAN PERAK: Fire / Explosion off Indonesia – August 2010
Project Summary
Whilst loading a cargo of crude oil at the Kangean Energy terminal on Sepanjang Island, north of Bali, several explosions ripped through the main deck of the tanker, “GAGASAN PERAK” during the morning of the 28th August 2010 causing crew injuries. The resulting fire raged briefly before being extinguished, leaving a dead ship, listing 17°. The crew abandoned ship. The aft part of the main deck was torn open and left hanging over the port and starboard sides. The authorities and terminal operators required the casualty be removed as soon as possible.
LOC’s Scope of Work
LOC were instructed by the Owners P&I Club to:
- Monitor the preparations to remove the casualty,
- Issue tow approval,
- Oversee and monitor cargo removal,
- Assist in the investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Risks
- Highly explosive exposed cargo remnants,
- Dead ship with torn main deck impairing structural strength,
- Cargo solidifies without heating.
The Operations
The casualty was prepared for a 7-day tow to a repair yard in Batam, which included full assessments of its structural strength by LOC. It safely arrived and then underwent an extensive cargo removal operation which required the manual scraping of solidified cargo. The cargo removal was successfully achieved, allowing the tanker to undergo full repairs in Singapore.
Results
Vessel fully repaired and returned to service.