Fire in forward cabin of sailing yacht Inseyandra
Location: Portsmouth harbour area, England.
Completed PE Summary: Inseyandra
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Recreational Craft/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Inseyandra |
| Registered Owner/Manager | P T Yacht Charters |
| Flag | UK |
| Type | Sailing yacht |
| Built | 2004 |
| Date/Time | 16/04/2005, 1052 |
| Location of Incident | Portsmouth harbour area |
| Incident Type | Fire |
| Persons Onboard | 10 crew |
| Injuries/Fatalities | None |
| Damage/Pollution | Minor damage |
Synopsis
Shortly after leaving her marina berth, the smoke alarm sounded in the forward cabin of this MCA Coded 14 metre sailing yacht. Spare sails, and other combustible material stowed around the bow thruster motor had ignited. The action of stowing kit around the motor had displaced a metal cover, which then made contact with one of the motor’s power terminals. While the bow thruster was being used, arcing caused by the resultant short circuit ignited the surrounding kit. The fire was extinguished using a dry powder extinguisher and the vessel headed for another nearby marina. There were no injuries.
Action taken
The Chief Inspector has written to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) recommending that all certifying authorities, involved in the inspection of coded vessels, are alerted to this accident. He has also written to several maritime bodies and publishing houses requesting that they bring this accident to the attention of their members or readers. All the safety issues will also be addressed by an MAIB Safety Digest article.