This is not only about a failed pressure test gone bad, but it is an excellent example of how “contributing factors” play a role in accidents. Deviating from the test plan, changing the time frame in which the test is to be conducted due to a noise ordinance, etc., played a role in this multimillion-dollar failure.
A third-party investigation report commissioned by the contractor XXXXXXXX found the 2020 accident was caused by a series of avoidable failures — including a lack of key equipment, a breakdown in communication, and pressure to complete a critical test more quickly because of a local noise bylaw.
Ballast tank testing was initially planned to last two days, but in the end, it was compressed into a single 24-hour period. One of the primary time pressures came from a city noise bylaw, according to the investigation report. The morning of the incident, workers were told the bylaw would prevent them from using an external air compressor after 11:30 p.m., the report said.
On the day of the incident, workers filled the ballast tanks with 30,000 litres of water to carry out a pressure test. When the test was over, they connected an unregulated air compressor to the tank to expedite the water’s release, a practice later found to be unsanctioned. Within about five minutes, workers found structural damage and water leaking from a hole near the hydroplane.