An Australian Antarctic Division chartered ship hit by an engine fire at sea was "not adequately manned, equipped or prepared" for the challenges of the Southern Ocean.
The MPV Everest was en route to Hobart from a resupply mission in Antarctica on April 5, 2021 with 37 crew and 72 division staff on board when a fire broke out in its port engine room.
The blaze, which took two-and-a-half hours to contain, substantially damaged the engine room and took out four of the ship's six diesel generators.
The Everest limped back to Fremantle, arriving eight days later.
No one on board was injured.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report published on Friday identified eight safety issues, one of which contributed to the fire.
The ATSB found the pre-charter due diligence of the Australian Antarctica Division (AAD) was ineffective in properly assessing the suitability and level of preparedness of the ship, its crew and safety management systems for operations in Antarctica.
The ATSB said several factors, including technical faults and the ship's design, contributed to fuel oil overflowing into the engine room.
The fire sparked when the fuel ignited, due to either contact with a hot surface or an electrostatic discharge.
The ATSB found the company that certified the ship had approved the fuel tank's air vent pipe being positioned within the engine room's exhaust ventilation casing.
"While this air pipe was not designed for the egress of fuel, this incident demonstrated that it was a possibility," ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
"International regulations specified that air pipes for fuel oil tanks must discharge to a safe position on the open deck."
The ATSB found the chief engineer was doing a manual fuel transfer while fatigued and likely had a "lapse in attention" which resulted in the tank overflowing undetected.
The remaining seven safety issues increased the level of risk in the accident, the ATSB said.
"Among these issues, the ATSB found ... Everest's managers, Fox Offshore, had not ensured the ship was adequately manned, equipped or prepared for the hazards and challenges of operations in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica," Mr Mitchell said.
"Additionally, the ship's safety management system was neither sufficiently mature for its operations, nor had it been effectively implemented on board."
The ATSB found the ship's engine room water mist fire extinguishing system was incorrectly installed and several crew members were unfamiliar with the system.
The ship's radio communication system for emergencies failed unexpectedly during the fire because of the isolation of electrical power.
This hindered shipboard emergency communications and the coordination of early firefighting efforts.
The AAD has since reviewed its procurement processes and shipping operating procedures, resulting in improvements in several areas, the ATSB said.
The federal department of climate change, energy, the environment and water, under which the AAD operates, has made changes to the way it manages chartered ships.
The Everest's tank air pipes, and other pipes in the engine room, have since been modified.
An AAD spokesman said the safety of expeditioners continues to be a priority.
