The vessel was sailing in a river under pilotage towards the discharge port. It was being manually steered and the weather was intermittently rainy, but visibility was good, and the wind was light.

There had been a detailed pilot exchange between the pilot and Master. The pilot was given a pilot card describing manoeuvring characteristics and he checked to confirm there was an anchor watch forward, which was a requirement.

Normally the Third Engineer was stationed in the emergency generator area during manoeuvres, but for this river transit he and the Second Engineer had changed watch positions so the Third Engineer could gain more experience in another area of the engine room. The Third Engineer was carrying out his rounds on the fuel treatment area when he noticed excessive differential pressure on the fuel filter. Without consulting anyone he decided to carry out a manual back flush after switching from one fuel filter to another. He moved the switch-over lever only part of the way, which resulted in the fuel flow to the main engine and auxiliary engines being interrupted and leading to a total blackout.

Read more about this case in the latest Monthly Safety Scenario.