Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released the finding of their investigation into an engine room fire on board the container vessel MOL Prestige in Haida Gwaii on June 18, 2018. The report indicates that maintenance related issues were the cause of the fire. Specifically, the transferring of cold fuel oil into a high temperature settling tank caused the water in it to boil under the surface of fuel oil, creating an overflow known as frothover. This led to the release of oil and fumes out of an opening at the top of the tank where a level indicator had been previously fitted, resulting in the fire. Additionally, the investigation found that equipment in the engine room was not maintained as required.
