BASILISK

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Report: Undetected corrosion caused failure

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), stated in an investigation report that an undetected corrosion and wear led to the equipment failure on the 'Basilisk' during cargo discharge operations on July 23, 2022. at 2.40 p.m. The failure of the hoisting wire rope on a shipboard crane while off-loading a wind turbine component caused this to drop onto the vessel's cargo hold tween deck No. 1, at the Greensport Terminal on the Houston Ship Channel in Houston, Texas in pos. 29 44 46.8 N, 095 11 06.6 W. The damages incurred, both to the vessel and the wind turbine component, were estimated to be in the range of three to five million US dollars. An examination of the hoisting wire rope revealed significant external corrosion and wear that had gone unnoticed. The grease on the rope had concealed the visible signs of corrosion. While annual visual inspections were conducted on the wire ropes, they did not detect the underlying corrosion below the grease. The wire rope, which had been in use for nine years, was still within the standard 10-year period of use. However, a post-casualty examination determined that the wire rope was near the end of its service life and should have been discarded. The operating company has since updated their maintenance system to require crane wire rope replacement every five years. The NTSB report highlighted the challenges of maintaining high-strength steel wire ropes on vessels due to the corrosive effects of saltwater and humid ocean air.