TAIC Investigation Report on Bulk Carrier Boiler Blowback at Bluff
New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has published its final report on a boiler blowback that injured three engine-room crew members aboard a bulk carrier at Bluff, a port at the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island. The accident happened on 24 May 2025, while the Malta-flagged ship, reported as the Olivia (20,928 gross tonnes), was berthed at South Port.
The ship had arrived in Bluff on 23 April 2025 with main engine and generator problems and had been in port for 32 days. On 23 May the burner of its composite boiler failed. The next day, three crew members were cleaning soot from the boiler with an air lance when hot gases and flames blew back out of the boiler. All three were hurt, and two suffered serious burns.
TAIC found that the likely causes were a faulty air-intake flap, a defective ignition transformer and a build-up of soot. The motorman probably disturbed hot soot as he pulled the air lance out. The report says face protection would very likely have reduced the injuries, and that the senior engineers were likely fatigued after weeks of repair work.
Investigators identified two safety issues. The ship’s Hong Kong-based technical managers have already taken action on both, so TAIC made no new recommendations. The report (MO-2025-204) is available on the TAIC website.
The case is a reminder that routine boiler cleaning can turn dangerous when burner faults are not fully fixed. Engine-room crews should wear full face and body protection during soot cleaning, make sure burner and air-flap defects are put right first, and speak up when long repair periods leave the team tired.
