Super Yacht Fire Season It Seems

[FlyingFortress]

Will try to make a very long story short.

Offshore Supply Vessel ( Vulcan Service) attempting to discharge cargo to Oil Rig ( Arch Rowan) we suffered a mechanical breakdown resulting in the loss of the Starboard Shaft. We made heavy contact with the Rig which tore several large holes in our hull and resulted in loss of watertight integrity AKA Titanic and Costa Concordia.

Although we fought it we were sinking and had to abandon ship.

Lifeboat was useless in those weather conditions so we used the Liferafts. One blew away so all 12 crew got into one 25 man raft. 

The Safety Stand by vessel ( St Martin ) launched its RIB to come and recover us. Passed us a towline then promptly broke down. Now 14 men in trouble. Our liferaft made contact with a damaged section of steel hull and promptly burst throwing all 12 of us into the water.

We managed to clamber on board the RIB (tight squeeze) which had now drifted clear of the ship and the St Martin manoeuvred close enough to pass a line and recovered us on board.

That is a very condensed version of events.

Yes some people did suffer from what is now known as PTSD and never worked on OSV's again.

It was and still is a hazardous way of making a living.

I however took a more pragmatic view and realized that most seafarers are very unlucky to be shipwrecked once so it was highly unlikely that it would happen to me again so continued my career and by 1992 I was a Captain myself and in the 7 years I was Captain of OSV's made contact with an Oil Rig only once. In fact in a 12 year period of working on OSV's only made contact 3 times.

[Bikertov]

Wow - that is an 'adventure'. Glad you all made it through !

Certainly one to tell the grandchildren ...

[Hylander]

Thank you.     Well how much bad luck can you have in one go.   One thing after the other.     Thank you for relaying it to us.  

[FlyingFortress]

That was the short version.

The St Martin sank a few days later when she returned to the Rig after dropping us off in Lowestoft.

You could not make it up 

[Bikertov]

3 hours ago, Hylander said:

Thank you.     Well how much bad luck can you have in one go.   One thing after the other.     Thank you for relaying it to us.  

If you think about it, in some ways that is what a disaster is - a series of connected events (bad luck) that individually are not such a big deal but cascaded and taken together cause the disaster event.

[Hylander]

I am not making this up but there have been even more fires on Superyachts.  

 

https://youtu.be/tz-BSjDkJy4

 

[annv]

Hi If i had to guess what caused it i would say likely cause would be a Lithium battery over heated. John

[grendel]

That would be entirely dependent upon the chemistry of the lithium batteries used,

LIFEPO (lithium Iron Phosphate) marine batteries are very unlikely to spontaneously combust (any more than Lead Acid batteri, these are rated as High safety compared to other lithium battery chemistries., the type of lithium batteries that are known to catch fire are the Lithium Cobalt Oxide type, as used in phones and laptops. they have a higher specific energy but fall a lot lower on safety and lifespan.

other types that are known to combust are the type used for electric vehicles - Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide.

Leo installed LIFEPO batteries in Tally ho, for the very reason that they are a safer chemistry, and unlikely to catch fire.

So, It will depend on the battery chemistry as to whether they are liable t catch fire, and the ones for marine applications are generally the safer type.

[FlyingFortress]

5 hours ago, grendel said:

That would be entirely dependent upon the chemistry of the lithium batteries used,

LIFEPO (lithium Iron Phosphate) marine batteries are very unlikely to spontaneously combust (any more than Lead Acid batteri, these are rated as High safety compared to other lithium battery chemistries., the type of lithium batteries that are known to catch fire are the Lithium Cobalt Oxide type, as used in phones and laptops. they have a higher specific energy but fall a lot lower on safety and lifespan.

other types that are known to combust are the type used for electric vehicles - Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide.

Leo installed LIFEPO batteries in Tally ho, for the very reason that they are a safer chemistry, and unlikely to catch fire.

So, It will depend on the battery chemistry as to whether they are liable t catch fire, and the ones for marine applications are generally the safer type.

Try telling that to the owner of a very prestigious boatyard on the Broads who produced the first Hybrid Pilot Boat.

He had hell and all bother getting it in class.

Although unlikely to catch fire it is a risk the classification society wanted some sort of mitigation for. Trouble is that standard fire fighting methods do not work so a CO2 smothering system in the Engine Room or more correctly battery room is as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. If in the unlikely event of a battery fire the only thing to do is abandon the vessel and let it sink.

Sorry should say that in class loosely means getting it certified for operation, or approved if you like.

Google fires on ships recently and it is a growing concern in the marine world.  Like developments in F1 technology does cascade downward, think ABS and traction control on cars, so what is now on commercial vessels is coming to the leisure world quicker than you would think.

[Hylander]

I am not making this up but there have been even more fires on Superyachts.  

 

https://youtu.be/tz-BSjDkJy4

 

Glad the yacht was not mine.

 

https://youtu.be/kcJHGET4Z4Q

 

[Hylander]

They certainly do it differently abroad.   Raising a yacht.

https://youtu.be/EwrcszQ_xL0

 

[Hylander]

I really feel that these crews should go to Specsavers?

 

https://youtu.be/PVidAvYkHPU

 

[Smoggy]

"alledged not seaworthy" is going to be a big thorn in the insurance claim.

[grendel]

Leo (of Tally Ho fame) has released his latest video, in which he explains the batteries he is using  and the electrical installation that is being done (by a fully qualified marine electrician) (for those who may be interested in the safety of different lithium battery chemistries.)

 

[Hylander]

I say this not knowing anything about batteries but I get the impression looking at the video that they would be a lot lighter than carting around the batteries that we used to have on our boat that weighed an absolute ton.

[annv]

Lovely wood work, Cant say i was very impressed with his electric cable connections no petroleum jelly or solder on bare wire ends or grease on connections even more important on sea boats. One reason sea boats catch fire from the battery's is when anchored they switch engine cooling fans off this makes engine room very hot no problem with lead acid( which every body is use to) but lithium very critical to keep them with in temperature parameters. Even the new electric buses are catching fire from the battery's, last week one caught fire near Cambridge.John

[grendel]

its a debatable point, but generally electric cars and busses use the lighter lithium ion chemistries, where Leo has a heavier, lower power density  (and safer) Lithium Iron Phosphate, also you may have noticed the batteries have a bulkhead separating them from the engine room, it was just the inverters they were mounting in there.

we will see how that goes down the line.

[annv]

All electrical connections on a boat need ether soldiering or crimped with bare metal and bare wire ends need petroleum jelly or Vaseline(same thing) or the new silicone electrical grease. In 93 i bought a Princess which was made in 76 i had to redue every electrical connection due to corrosion before every thing worked properly. John

[Hylander]

https://youtu.be/14RdzFBVr0Y

I didn't realise there was such a thing as a floating dry dock.

[Speleologist]

2 hours ago, Hylander said:

I didn't realise there was such a thing as a floating dry dock.

They can be quite big. This one, at Cerneval Shipyard in Gibraltar Bay, is 176 metres long by 26 metres wide.

[Hylander]

Yep - not a fire this time but just keeled over.     Watch from 5 mins in.     Prior it all about other huge yachts.

 

 

[Smoggy]

You posted that one about 9 posts ago I'm sure.

[Hylander]

This was an in depth - what happened and why to the boat.   It beggars belief that something of such value could be allowed to set sail while not being passed as sea worthy.   It was only released yesterday.

[annv]

Hi Hylander this boat did not catch fire it hit rocks punctured its hull and was beached here to stop it sinking. it was sailing with out its full navigation suit working. John

[Hylander]

22 hours ago, annv said:

Hi Hylander this boat did not catch fire it hit rocks punctured its hull and was beached here to stop it sinking. it was sailing with out its full navigation suit working. John

I dont recall saying it caught fire,   there have been several that have but it just seems very odd to me that all these glorious boats are ending up in such awful situations.   More money than sense , as my old Mum used to say.