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Report about ammonia leak which killed two crew members approved
The Maritime Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIM) met last week to give final approval to a series of reports. among them the one regarding the 'Albacora Cuatro', which made headlines in June 2022 for an ammonia leak that killed two Galician crew members. They were residents of Porto do Son and Ribeira, Francisco Cameán Santos (35 years old) and Ángel Boo Vidal (27), respectively. The commission under the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility indicatedas "the most likely hypothesis" that "the formation of an oil sludge plug" was the cause of the leak, which led the two sailors to believe that the tank containing the ammonia was empty, "which is why, when they tried to open the lid, the ammonia was released, causing the fatal accident." The 'Albacora Cuatro' was fishing in the Indian Ocean when it detected a problem that forced it to return to the port of Victoria, in the Seychelles. There, the tuna vessel anchored one mile off the coast to carry out the work prior to the installation of a new section of shaft, the arrival of which was scheduled for the week the accident occurred. With an inspector of the company present to oversee the work, the 31 crew members proceeded to perform other maintenance tasks in parallel with the dismantling of the severed shaft section and the preparation of the area. The officers continued with their routine maintenance and managed the operation of essential services during the shutdown, including the ammonia installation that preserved the brine in the tanks. The commission highlighted the experience of both crew members (Boo was chief engineer and Cameán was first officer). "The engine room crew was very familiar with the plant's maintenance tasks, considering that the chief engineer had held that position approximately 10 years ago and the first engineer had held that position for a year and a half." The firefighters and crew members who participated in the recovery of the bodies "confirmed the source of the leak: the particle separator inspection cover," with two of the four bolts already loosened. The main hypothesis—which appears in the conclusions—is that the two crew members took advantage of the stoppage and the wait for the shaft parts to clean the oil accumulating in that area: "It is surprising that a person with the experience of the chief engineer would open the cover without having performed any prior checks. The most likely hypothesis is that they tried to vacuum the tank, unsuccessfully, due to the formation of some oil sludge plug that gave them a false vacuum. This is why, when they tried to open the cover, the ammonia was released, causing the fatal accident." "As contributing factors a series of actions adopted in February 2022 for preventive activity planning had not been implemented, in addition to the fact that a safety policy on board was not in place, and the deceased crew members "were not provided with any type of PPE (masks, etc.)." Finally, "specific evacuation drills, or drills related to ammonia leaks, were not carried out."
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