Wrong Valve Caused Deadly Fire Aboard Boxship at Barbours Cut

The NTSB has released its investigative report on the deadly blaze aboard the aging boxship Stride, which sustained an engine room fire at Port of Houston early last year. The fire was caused by the installation of the wrong kind of valve, which led to an overflow of fuel into the engine room. 

On January 8, 2024, Stride was alongside at the Barbours Cut Marine Terminal and taking on bunkers. The chief engineer and third engineer were in the engine room to monitor the transfer, and they began the bunkering sequence by lining up valves to put diesel into the port and starboard diesel oil tanks simultaneously. Transfer began at 0305 at a slow speed, then – at the chief’s request – ramped up to maximum pressure and flow rate. 

All was normal until 0325, when the wiper – who was on the 3rd deck of the engine room – saw diesel dripping down from the upper levels. He ran to the engine control room and alerted the chief and the third engineer, who began yelling on the radio. The tankerman on the bunker barge and the capt…