Lubrication-related failure caused $20 million in damage

[brianl703]

I was watching Extreme Evidence on Court TV yesterday, "Mystery on the Mississippi"

They were discussing the 763-foot freighter Bright Field which lost it's engine and, as a result, slammed into a hotel and a mall on the Mississippi River, causing $20 million in damage and 300 injuries, no fatalities fortunately.

The engine shut down due to a loss of oil pressure.

This is what they found:

1)The engine oil level was low
2)The oil filter was clogged with sludge
3)The pump started cavitating (presumably due to the low oil level and the clogged filter) and shut down
4)The backup pump's control was turned off so it could not take over
5)Oil analysis determined that the oil had a low flash point due to contamination with diesel fuel

 

[Thomas Pyrek]

For some reason I'm just picturing a 6' diameter 10' long atomic orange can w/ sure grip needing 3 men to install and 6 to remove.

 

[brianl703]

I'm picturing someone on the ship expecting a low oil warning light to come on..

 

[Thomas Pyrek]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jay:
I'm seeing a team of bloodthirsty lawyers making sure the company that owns the vessel won't have the money to operate a toy boat in a bathtub--and rightfully so.

---

I think your crystal ball is the least foggy.

 

[Jay]

I'm seeing a team of bloodthirsty lawyers making sure the company that owns the vessel won't have the money to operate a toy boat in a bathtub--and rightfully so.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I see the same atomic orange can on the side of an engnie the size of a train. Then I picture some guy that used to work at AZ dumping in Vlaue Craft oil by the truck load!! I am also seeing a GM engine oil service life light on the bridge of the ship. I also see the chief engineer argueing about Seafoam on "Bobistheoilguy" as the engines oil pump and back pump fail to get the job done!

Can you picture some one asking about how much Auto-Rx it would take to de-sludge a 763-foot freighter Bright Field and if frank sells it by the tanker truck load!!!!

 

[TomJones76]

Anyone know what the power plant was on this thing?

 

[brianl703]

On Page 17 of the NTSB Marine Accident Report available at this URL:


http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1998/MAR9801.pdf

The vessel was equipped with an IHI Sulzer
RTA62 slow-speed, five-cylinder, two-cycle,
turbocharged, reversible diesel engine
manufactured by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy
Industries (IHI) of Aioi, Japan. The 9,655-brake
hp (7,200 kw) engine was directly coupled to a
24-foot-diameter, four-blade, bronze propeller
capable of driving the vessel to a speed of 15.5
knots at sea speed.23 A change from ahead to
astern required that the engine be stopped and
restarted with shaft rotation in the opposite
direction. A high-pressure compressed-air
system was used to start the engine in either
direction and also to stop its rotation during a
change from ahead to astern or vice versa.

 

[brianl703]

Also:

Engine Lubricating Oil System -- The main
engine lubrication oil system circulated 30-
weight high-detergent oil from the 14-cubicmeter
(about 3,700 gallons) sump located in the
main engine foundation.