Tanker Smooth Sea 2 that had been pulling out of the berth when it suddenly exploded, killing one and injuring two crews
At around 9am on 9 March 2022, a 39-year-old tanker berthed on the Chao Phraya River in Samut Prakan, Thailand, caught fire after an onboard explosion. The vessel had just discharged oil at the pier and had been getting ready to pull out of the berth when the incident happened. Three crew members were been caught in the blast, resulting in one casualty.
Based on footage by the Thai navy, the explosion caused huge flames and sent a plume of black smoke into the sky. Firefighters had rushed to the scene after receiving reports from petroleum and petrochemical company IRPC of the fire, and took about 30 minutes to finally bring the fire under control. The ship had supposedly been carrying around 1.8m litres of gasoil and 1.3m litres of diesel, and at present, officials do not know how much oil remains on the vessel.
The Thai Marine Department has begun an investigation into the cause of the incident; however, some believe that it had been caused by negligence.
Conscientiousness is the key to a safe working environment
According to a 2020 study, human factor accounts for over 80% of accidents at sea. This incident, while unfortunate, should serve as a reminder for seafarers to take care during the course of their work to ensure that the work environment is safe. After all, everyone wants to go back to their loved ones safe and sound.
Source:
TradeWinds
NCBI
Crewing Online Media Team
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