In August 2016, a Ballast Water Treatment System fitted onboard a semi-submersible installation suffered from a catastrophic failure which caused the loss of the system and damage to surrounding equipment and fittings.
The system was the OceanGuard Ballast Water Management System manufactured by Headway Technology Co. Ltd which treats by Electrolytic Chlorination. The system should not be confused with the DESMI Ocean Guard A/S system.
According to an incident summary (available below) published on the manufacturer’s website, the cause of the incident was; an approved service engineer “ .. forgot to exit the Test Mode and reboot the system after performing training to the ship crew. This misconduct directly led to the continuous current supply to the EUT Unit for a long period with both inlet and outlet valves closed, ….”. A Headway Technical Circular advises Owners/Operators with this system to contact the manufacturer (available below).
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued an HSE Safety Alert which, although does not name the system/manufacturer, provides photographs of a failed unit, raises awareness of the potential hazards associated with this type of equipment and actions that should be undertaken for owners with this type of equipment fitted (available below).
