The Seapeak Napa Incident: Navigating Risks in Maritime’s Green Alternate Fuel Transition
By Capt.Nishant Mehta
The early morning hours of October 27, 2023, were quiet at the Hyundai Oilbank Terminal in Daesan, South Korea. The Seapeak Napa, a 10,000 DWT LPG tanker, had just completed loading over 5,200 tonnes of cryogenic ethylene at a temperature of about -100deg C. For the 17-member crew, the 16-hour cargo loading operation was almost over, and preparations to disconnect the cargo lines were underway.
But beneath this routine lay the seeds of disaster.
The Setting: A Familiar Routine with High Stakes
On deck, the gas engineer, worked on securing the manifold blank after disconnection of Cargo loading arm. This critical step would seal the ethylene’s containment. But his task was interrupted by a call to assist with cargo sampling. He left the manifold mid-task, planning to return shortly.
A Simple Task, Interrupted
By the time,the gas engineer returned around 4:00 a.m., something had gone wrong. A faint odor hung in the air, and vapor swirled around the manifold—a tell-tale sign of an ethylene leak. Acting swiftly, he opened the drain valve to relieve pressure, but it wasn’t enough.
The gas engineer called AB3, an able seaman with years of experience, to assist. They tightened the bolts, but the vapor persisted. Then AB3 asked, “Is the gasket in place?”
The gas engineer wasn’t sure. The earlier interruption had left the task incomplete. Rushing to retrieve a gasket from Compressor Room, he left AB3 alone on the deck, with the vapor cloud thickening around them.
The Fatal Ignition
At 4:27 a.m., the gas engineer returned to the manifold with the missing gasket. As he unbolted the manifold, disaster struck.
The accumulated ethylene vapors found a spark—its source unknown likely static but devastating. A fireball erupted, engulfing the manifold platform in flames.
Image courtesy, Bahamas Maritime Authority, Marine Safety Investigation Report Oct 2024
AB3, reacting instinctively, leapt over the ship’s railing, sustaining burns and injuries from his fall onto a fender below. The gas engineer, caught in the inferno, suffered critical injuries.
Despite the vessel’s automatic water-spray system, it failed to deliver water to the affected area. Manual firefighting efforts began at 4:30 a.m., with terminal support arriving 13 minutes later. By 4:44 a.m., the fire was extinguished, but the damage was irreversible. The gas engineer succumbed to his injuries five days later.
Image courtesy, Bahamas Maritime Authority, Marine Safety Investigation Report Oct 2024
A Pattern of Missed Signals
This tragedy wasn’t an isolated event. In the weeks leading up to the explosion, the gas engineer was involved in two prior incidents that signalled competency gaps:
- October 22, 2023: Upon approaching to Dongjiakou terminal, he mistakenly shut down both compressors alongside the seawater pump, risking condenser damage and a potential gas leak.
- October 17, 2023: During ethylene cooling operations, a gas leak occurred in the compressor room. Despite clear signs—an alarm from Fixed gas detection system, strong odor and abnormal noise—he failed to report it promptly.
In hindsight, these incidents were warning signs of inexperience and a lack of situational awareness, ultimately culminating in disaster.
The Shift Towards Alternative Fuels and the Rising Safety Challenges
The maritime industry is undergoing a profound transformation as it transitions to alternative fuels to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
This shift, while essential to reducing emissions, brings with it a host of challenges.
The DNV Maritime Forecast to 2050 captures the urgency of this transition, outlining both opportunities and the complexities that lie ahead.
In recent years, the industry witnessed a huge upsurge in the newbuild orders for vessels equipped with alternative fuel propulsion. Fuels like LNG, methanol, and ammonia are emerging as front runners in this shift.
Each presents unique risks, such as cryogenic storage requirements , flammability, and toxicity. These properties demand specialized handling protocols and rigorous operational oversight.
Looking forward, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set ambitious decarbonization goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Achieving these targets will require significant uptake of carbon-neutral fuels. DNV projects that by 2030, the shipping sector alone will demand 30–40% of global carbon-neutral fuel production capacity.
As the industry transitions to Alternate Fuels, the risks highlighted by incidents like the Seapeak Napa explosion take on new relevance.
The Need for Enhanced Training and Behavioural Competency
The Seapeak Napa tragedy underscores the need for a two-pronged approach to safety:
- Technical Training: To equip crews with the skills necessary to handle the unique properties of alternative fuels.
- Behavioural Competency: To foster the situational awareness, decision-making, and communication skills required in high-stakes operations.
While Technical Training always remains in focus, Behavioural competencies are often overlooked but they are critical in preventing incidents.
The OCIMF and INTERTANKO publication Behavioural Competency Assessment and Verification for Vessel Operators offers a framework to enhance these skills, emphasising six key domains:
- Team Working: Collaboration during high-risk tasks is vital.
- Communication and Influencing: Clear dialogue can prevent critical errors.
- Situational Awareness: Crews must stay alert to hazards and fuel-specific risks.
- Decision Making: Quick, informed decisions under pressure can save lives.
- Results Focus: Prioritising safety and operational effectiveness ensures successful outcomes.
- Leadership and Managerial Skills: A strong safety culture starts with effective leadership.
Incorporating these competencies ensures that crew members are not only technically proficient but also mentally prepared to handle emergencies.
Reflections from the Flames
Even with excellent training and extensive experience in handling gas cargoes on Gas Tankers, incidents like the Seapeak Napa can still occur. This raises critical concerns for vessels like container ships, bulk carriers, or oil and chemical tankers, where crews have little or no experience managing volatile fuels like LNG, methanol, or ammonia.
The shift to alternative fuels demands a new standard of training, far beyond current practices. Crews must master fuel-specific technical skills and develop advanced behavioral competencies, such as situational awareness and decision-making, to manage high-stakes operations safely.
The maritime industry must view this transition as not only technological but also educational and cultural, requiring significant investment in safety and training to protect lives and ensure operational excellence.
Acknowledgements and Credits
This blog draws insights from several authoritative sources to provide a comprehensive view of safety and operational challenges in the maritime industry:
- Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA): For detailed reporting on the Seapeak Napa incident, which served as a foundation for understanding critical lapses and lessons learned. ( Seapeak Napa Incident Report )
- DNV Maritime Forecast to 2050: For its extensive analysis on alternative fuel adoption, decarbonization goals, and challenges faced by the maritime sector in transitioning to sustainable energy sources. ( Maritime Forecast to 2050 )
- OCIMF and INTERTANKO: For their publication on Behavioral Competency Assessment and Verification for Vessel Operators, offering a framework for enhancing crew safety and operational readiness through behavioral training. ( Behavioral Competency Assessment and Verification for Vessel oeprators )
Disclaimer: The insights and interpretations shared in this blog are based on publicly available reports, including those from the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA), DNV’s Maritime Forecast to 2050, and INTERTANKO’s publication on Behavioral Competencies. While every effort has been made to present accurate and up-to-date information, this blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice or consultation.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the referenced organizations. For precise details, please refer to the original reports and publications.
Excellent post Sir. Clearly shows new risks in Maritime industry with changing regulations wrt fuels.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree sir,
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