Five Keralites were killed in blast on ONGC ship in KochiKochi: Forensic investigators suspect acetylene leak to have caused the fatal blast on Sagar Bhushan, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)'s exploratory, deep-sea drill ship, which claimed five lives on Tuesday.
The ill-fated vessel was dry-docked at the Cochin Shipyard on January 12 for routine maintenance and repair.
The police forensic experts who boarded the ship on Wednesday said the acetylene could have leaked from a gas cutter used by employees contracted by the shipyard.
The personnel of the Directorate General of Shipping and the Factories and Boilers Department, who inspected the accident spot on Wednesday, were ascertaining whether the standard safety checks were carried out prior to the work on the water ballast of the ship. They were also examining whether the gas conveyor tube of the cutter was handled securely. The tube belonged to a private firm and not the shipyard, sources said.
Rules mandate that permission should be sought from the shipyard safety office to 'work in enclosed spaces and to work with hazardous material.' (Water ballast is an enclosed space).
Acetylene is highly inflammable and can emit poisonous fumes on combustion. Only a post-mortem can confirm if the workers were killed due to burns sustained or by inhalation of poisonous fume.
The ship, which arrived on December 7 was to be undocked on February 28, 2018. Work completion was scheduled by April 7, 2018.
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