Oil spill due to hole in the hose and bunkering at night

What happened

An offshore diesel bunkering transfer from vessel to installation took place at night. During this bunkering operation, a significant amount of diesel was released into the sea.

Root cause

The direct cause of the spill was a hole in the bunkering hose. The limited visibility during the night may have hindered immediate discovery of the spill. The initial fact-finding showed that there were issues including the design of the bunkering hose station and lack of inspection and maintenance of the bunkering hoses.

Corrective actions

• Carry out an inspection of bunker station and hoses prior bunkering
• Check for kinked hoses (potentially creating a weak spot) and do they have the correct amount of floats installed
• Proper lookout during the bunkering operation must be established
• Avoid as possible bunkering operations during bad weather and poor visibility including night
• Avoid submerging couplings when bunkering