Incinerator Fire

3 incidents in 8 months
Common findings

2
1st Incident June 15
Incinerator was burning general waste
containing absorbent pads with hydraulic oil.
When oil came out, air inlet it caught fire.

• Immediate Cause;
• Too much oil entered in to the chamber
• Excessive heat on corner plates of incinerator

• Underlying Causes
• No Vessel Specific Checklist covering the procedure
for burning solid/liquid waste onboard.
• Vessel garbage segregation not followed
• No intervention by operator when he noticed the
improper segregation of the liquid waste

3
2nd Incident March 16
Incinerator was burning sludge when fire
alarm was triggered, fire detected in
incinerator room, multiple sensors activated
(flame, temp, smoke). Hi-Fog system
released automatically.
• Immediate Cause;
• Liquid draining from the ventilation hole catching fire.
• Excessive heat on corner plates of incinerator

• Underlying Causes
• Sludge nozzle air pipe partially clogged by hard
carbonized sludge. Nozzle had been cleaned 5 days
earlier (monthly cleaning routine as per manual).
• Flame scrod misaligned by 20 compared to
drawings.
• Sludge dosing pump stator worn out prematurely.
Replacement of stator is based of an interval of 6
months instead on running hours.

4
 3rd Incident March 16
Operator noticed small flame at the corner
of the incinerator. Fire put out with
extinguisher without the fire alarm going off:

• Immediate Cause;
• Liquid draining from the ventilation hole catching fire
• Excessive heat on corner plates of incinerator
Flame
came out

• Underlying Causes
• Incinerating mix garbage at the same time as sludge,
general waste and food waste.
• Overloading of incinerator during the operation.
• Corner plates at the bottom of the equipment not
removed despite knowledge of Maker.
• Blockage of air vents from slag from previous
operation causing too high temperature inside the
ventilation chamber.
• Operator lack of knowledge of correct operation.

5
 Common Findings

The following findings were seen as common for

the three investigations :

• Lack of understanding on correct operation &

maintenance of incinerators across the fleet.
• Limited communication from the maker on experience
transfer and upgrades.

6
 Actions

The following actions have been initiated:

• Improve communication with maker to ensure service

letters and experience transfers are captured.
• Internal Experience transfer of all Incidents
• Fleet wide campaign on use and maintenance on
Incinerators