At 1409 on Sunday, December 9, 2001, the container ship, ANDINO, slowed its engine when the main engine turbocharger overheated. The main engine was shut-down and the ship began drifting without propulsion in the vessel traffic lanes northwest of Pillar Point, Washington at 1436. The 177-meter (581-foot), 17,738 gross ton ship, built in 1993, was inbound for Seattle.
Chart section showing approximate location of the ANDINO’s loss of propulsion. Select to enlarge.
Winds on-scene were 15 knots out of the southwest. Swells averaged 4 feet from the northwest. Wind waves were about 2 feet. The current was ebbing at about 1.5 knots.
The U.S. Coast Guard's Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service was contacted by the ANDINO. The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port, through Foss dispatch, put the State-funded rescue tug stationed at Neah Bay, BARBARA FOSS on standby at 1425, and requested the tug's assistance at 1430. The BARBARA FOSS was underway by 1440 to make the 22.5-mile run to the ANDINO's position near latitude 48-16' north, longitude 124-08' west.
The BARBARA FOSS proceeded east against the ebbing current, arriving on-scene to assist the ANDINO at 1640. Once there the BARBARA FOSS stood by, and assisted with communications between the ship and the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office.
The ANDINO's Master planned to drift in the traffic separation zone while the ship's engineers effected repairs, and, if necessary, anchor in Canadian waters of the Strait, south of Vancouver Island. The Captain of the Port, however, required the ANDINO to be taken under tow, and, after some clarifying communications, the ANDINO's Master reluctantly agreed to connect a tow line from the BARBARA FOSS within about one-half mile of entering the outbound traffic lane.
The ANDINO was taken under tow for Port Angeles at 1830 by the BARBARA FOSS. At 1940 the tractor tug LINDSEY FOSS took over the towing operation. Temporary repairs were accomplished and the ANDINO regained partial propulsion as it reached Port Angeles, anchoring at 0020 (December 10th) under its own power with the LINDSEY FOSS standing by.
Follow-up investigation by an Ecology vessel inspector indicated that the bearing cage on the blower side of the turbocharger had failed. Shutting down the main engine had prevented additional damage and a possible turbocharger explosion. The crew was alerted to the bearing failure when an alarm sounded on the bridge indicating a high oil temperature in the turbocharger. Earlier printouts from the engine monitoring system (the ship is approved for unmanned machinery space operations) had indicated elevated bearing temperatures below the alarm threshold of 110 degrees Celsius, but these went unnoticed by the engineering crew.
Damaged turbocharger rotor. Select to enlarge. (Photo by Dodge Kenyon.)
The turbocharger was reportedly last overhauled in March 2001 and had only 4,000 operating hours on it since the overhaul. The manufacturer's recommended overhaul period is 16,000 hours.
Additional temporary repairs were done in Port Angeles and the ship proceeded to Seattle for more complete repairs and sea trials.
Container ship ANDINO at berth in Seattle, Washington. Select to enlarge. (Photo by Dodge Kenyon.)
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