M/V Sealand Kodiak; Kodiak Harbor, Alaska

Kodiak Harbor, Alaska | 2000-Mar-16

Initial Notification: The USCG at MSO Anchorage received a report the evening of March 15, 2000 that a propane cylinder aboard the M/V SeaLand Kodiak docked in Kodiak seemed to have a damaged valve and was leaking perceptibly. While en route from Anchorage to Kodiak, the container vessel encountered huge seas causing the 40-foot long, 7-foot diameter propane cylinder on the main deck to move within its steel framework skeleton. The damage was noted while off-loading containers at the Kodiak SeaLand dock, which is in Kodiak Harbor a few miles south of the town of Kodiak and north of the airport. The movement of the propane cylinder had broken welds in the framework and bent some I-beams putting the valve in jeopardy. A smell of mercaptan ( mixed with propane since it has a very offensive odor) could be detected close to the tank and an explosive meter, operated by the Kodiak Fire Department, gave a reading of 10% of the lower explosion level (LEL) 5 to10 feet from the valve. USCG district 17. Keyword: none.