Loose Lub Oil Drum
Approaching Cape Horn 0600 in heavy weather when the fire alarm sounded. Lub Oil had leaked onto exhaust. (Chain of errors compounded by the Engineer stopping the wrong engine.) After investigation, it was found that luboil drum had broken free and punctured, then leaked onto exhaust. The drum had been there two years, was surplus to requirements (wrong oil supplied). The lashing appeared adequate but had apparently been too short and instead of being replaced by a longer line, the shortfall had been made up with light sail twine. The manager estimates that this had been overlooked by ISM auditors, four internal audits and over 100 weekly inspections in addition to duty Engineers’ rounds every four hours for two years.
