An unfortunate incident occurred when a superyacht chief engineer was fatally electrocuted while repairing a failed ventilation damper and coming into contact with a live electrical circuit.

The victim, Roy Temme, aged 47, was working for Burgess Crew Services, a subsidiary of Burgess, on the Isle of Man registered motor yacht Baton Rouge.

The tragic accident took place in February 2024 as the chief engineer was conducting maintenance on the vessel’s engine room ventilation system.

During the repair process, he was replacing a damper actuator located in a ventilation overpressure duct compartment.

Despite the crew's immediate response in administering CPR and attempting to resuscitate Mr. Temme, their efforts were in vain, and he was declared deceased later that morning.

An investigation carried out by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) revealed that the chief engineer had initiated the actuator replacement without isolating the electrical supply and lacked the necessary permit for electrical maintenance.

Risk Assessment

The report indicated that the engineer likely disregarded safety protocols due to his assessment of the risk involved and his desire to avoid inconveniences caused by switching to emergency power.

Shutting down the main generators for isolating the damper actuator circuit would have resulted in the vessel relying on emergency power until the task was completed, affecting hotel services and air conditioning systems.

Given that the voltage was only 230VAC, comparable to UK domestic voltage, the chief engineer possibly underestimated the job's risks.

Enclosed Space Issue

According to the accident report, the overpressure duct compartment's location and access met the industry's definition of an enclosed space. However, the yacht's safety management system did not align with this definition, focusing instead on toxic atmospheres.

Consequently, the crew did not recognize the compartment as an enclosed space and failed to adhere to enclosed space entry procedures.

Following the incident, Nigel Burgess Limited, the yacht's manager, updated permit to work guidelines for electrical systems and revised the safety management system's enclosed space definition. They also provided fleet guidance on the updated definition, permits, onboard risk controls, training, and drills.