M2022-E3, MY Hooligan (FIN), fire and sinking off Tallinn, 30 July 2022

The Safety Investigation Authority, Finland (SIAF) was informed that a Finnish yacht had sunk off Tallinn as a result of a fire on 30 July 2022. The SIAF started collecting background information related to the case with the mandate of a preliminary investigation. The observations made about the incident are presented below.

The MY Hooligan is an Italian-made Canados 90 Open yacht with a total length of 27.4 m and maximum width of 6.3 m, powered by two MTU 16 V 2000 marine diesel engines with a total power of approximately 3,580 hp. The vessel had been undergoing fuel tank (volume 8,500 l), fuel nozzle and fuel pump maintenance and repair/replacement.
The tank had been filled with 6,000 l of diesel after the tank maintenance. Minor flaws in the fuel pipes were detected during a test drive conducted on 29 July, and these were rectified before the voyage resulting in the accident.

The vessel was carrying 10 people on the voyage which resulted in the accident, and approximately 5,500 l of diesel when it set out. At the start of the voyage, the vessel first drove slowly to warm up the engines, after which speed was increased to approximately 24 knots (approximately 60% of full power). After the speed had been increased, smoke was seen coming from the engine room, and the vessel was stopped to investigate the cause of the smoke. The crew was unable to investigate the cause in more detail because the smoke intensified, at which time those on board put on life jackets, notified the Estonian Emergency Response Centre (112) at about 15:30 and disembarked onto a life raft that had been lowered from the vessel. Approximately 2–3 minutes later, flames billowed out of the vessel's engine room and the fire intensified.

The people on the raft were evacuated successfully, assisted by a pleasure boat that had arrived on the scene. The first maritime rescue unit arrived on the scene approximately 45 minutes after the emergency call (112). The fire on the MY Hooligan could not be extinguished, and the vessel sank at approximately 18:20. The sunken vessel leaked fuel into the sea. The leak was successfully contained.
High seas hindered operations during the incident, with a west-northwest wind of 8 m/s. The accident did not cause serious personal injuries. The Estonian authorities suspect the incident to have been caused by a technical problem.

The Estonian or Finnish safety investigation authorities will not initiate a safety investigation due to the incident.
The badly burned wreck of the vessel was raised from the sea on 5 August 2022.

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