C5/2002M M/t TEBO OLYMPIA (FIN), Petrol Leak in Sköldvik Harbour on 27.2.2002

When M/T TEBO OLYMPIA was discharging her cargo, flammable petrol (BE91USC 003/01, semi-finished product), at jetty No.1 in Sköldvik oil harbour February 27, 2002, her crew noticed at 6:15 a.m. that the cargo was leaking on the deck of the tanker from an emptying valve left open. The petrol leaked from a hose after the valve to a collecting well below it. When the well was full the petrol leaked on the deck of the tanker and to the sea over the deck over flow border. It was measured that there was about 8.5 m3 petrol in the collecting sump, 4.5 m3 on the deck and 2 m3 in the sea; total of 15 m3. The petrol on the deck caused an apparent dangerous situation. The operating procedures described in the safety management system of the tanker did not mention any procedures relating to the valve now left open. The safety control on the deck failed because the person responsible for it was ordered by the first mate to do secondary tasks to the cargo handling. This meant that the noticing of the leak was delayed some 15 minutes. The investigators recommend that the shipping company improve their safety management system to be individual to each ship and written completely in Finnish so that the entire crew understands its instructions.

C5/2002M Report (pdf, 1.41 Mt)