Loss Prevention Advice
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Automatic backflush filters are intended to safeguard engines by maintaining clean fuel and lubricating oil, however, the recent claims indicate that when they malfunction, they can instead become a significant cause of engine damage.
Automatic backflush filters are widely used in fuel and lubricating oil systems to continuously remove contaminants using fine wire mesh candles. Unlike traditional filters, they clean themselves through a pressure-triggered backflush process that allows uninterrupted engine operation by switching between filter chambers.
However, failures have been reported where the fine mesh disintegrates during use, allowing metal fragments to enter the lubrication system and cause severe damage to engine bearings.
Differential pressure concerns
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Following recent tragic incidents involving coconut oil and its derivatives, NorthStandard P&I Club draws attention to a critical but often underestimated risk in the maritime industry: toxic gas generation in cargo tanks carrying vegetable oils.
As explained by Manish Nayyar, Senior Loss Prevention Executive at NorthStandard, contrary to common perception, vegetable oils—particularly coconut oil and its derivatives, pose significant atmospheric hazards in enclosed spaces. Understanding these risks are crucial for safe operations. In particular:
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) Generation: CCNO contains higher levels of impurities and has lower stability compared to refined products. When heated or agitated, it can release carbon monoxide—a colorless, odorless, and deadly gas.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): CFAD contains medium-chain fatty acids (capric acid C10, lauric acid C12) that vaporize when heated or agitated, creating flammable atmospheres and displacing oxygen.
- Oxygen Displacement: Vaporization and chemical reactions can rapidly deplete oxygen levels, creating asphyxiation hazards—even when initial readings appear safe.
- Dynamic Atmospheric Changes: Safe pre-entry readings do not guarantee continued safety. Cargo movement (circulation, heating, stripping) can release trapped gases, transforming a “safe” atmosphere into a lethal one.
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Dangerous goods quick reference guide regarding flammable substances and outlining dos and don’ts on handling those Class 4 cargoes.
Class 4 dangerous goods include flammable solids and substances that can ignite spontaneously or emit flammable gases when in contact with water. These pose risks such as property damage, cargo damage, injury, environmental harm, insurance invalidation, and potential criminal prosecution.
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Ukrainian naval drones struck and disabled a sanctioned tanker on 10 December as it transited Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The vessel, identified as the Dashan, part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” is the third Russia-linked ship hit in the region in two weeks. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the Dashan was traveling at maximum speed with its AIS transponder switched off when explosions tore through its stern, causing “critical damage.” The tanker, under EU and U.K. sanctions and sailing without a clear flag registry.
Video provided by the agency shows several Sea Baby drones racing toward the tanker before powerful blasts erupt at the rear of the ship. Maritime security sources also confirmed the strike, though no casualties have been reported.
Ukraine says the attack is part of an intensified effort to disrupt Russia’s wartime oil revenues. “The SBU continues active measures to reduce oil-dollar revenues to the Russian budget. In the last two weeks, this is already the third disabled tanker of the ‘shadow fleet’ that helped the Kremlin circumvent international sanctions,” the SBU source said to Kyiv Independent.
Analysts note that the pressure has already pushed war-risk insurance costs for Black Sea shipping sharply higher.
Watch the video at the following link.