Raw and preprocessed data on the explosions of crankcases in marine main propulsion engines (1972-2018)

One of the primary hazards associated with offshore and deep sea ship operations and primarily ship power plants are fires and explosions, resulting in accidents and incidents with an average frequency of 60 days. This paper discusses the actuality of crankcase explosion hazards in marine main propulsion engines of various types of sea vessels. The assessment was made based on the results of a statistical analysis of historical data from 1972 to 2018. The methodology consists of three stages: a selection query to obtain the source data, analysis of the obtained results (data separation, extraction of additional information, and statistical analysis), synthesis of the obtained information, and drawing conclusions about the numerical indicators describing the statistical distribution of individual events for the given evaluation criteria. An estimate of the proportion of explosions in the analyzed population was made by taking into account the location of the ship at the time of the event, age of the ship, type of main engine, severity of the event, and human casualties. The analysis showed that the risk of crankcase explosions affects ships of all ages, both in crosshead (31%) and trunk piston engines (61%), and that the number of serious incidents (67%) remains constant. Half of all incidents occurring on vessels younger than 15 years old. 58% of explosions took place in engines of most popular prime movers manufacturers). The probability that a main engine crankcase explosion will result in injury or death is 17.34%.