Ostedijk

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The Ostedijk is a Dutch cargo ship that sent out a distress call on 17 February 2007 when it was about 20 km off the northwestern tip of Spain (east of Estaca de Bares)

The ship was transporting 6,000 tons of a fertilizer called NPK 15-15-15C from Porsgrunn in Norway to the Spanish Mediterranean city of Valencia. The captain radioed that there was a "chemical reaction" in his ship's cargo, leading him to stop engines. The Spanish authorities sent a support team to look at the ship but nothing wrong was detected and Ostedijk was allow to continue travel to Valencia. On the 18 February, the day after, the caption radioed again that there was a chemical reaction in the cargo and that more white smoke was visible coming out of the section # 2 of the cargo. The Spanish authorities then towed the ship away from the coast and started consulting with technical experts.

Specialists were sent to the vessel and took measurements with infrared cameras, estimating that the top of the fertilizer has reached about 200 C. As time was going by and no action was taken, the plume continue to grow. Only on the morning of the 20th, a nearby towboat started throwing water over the ship's cover to cool down the cargo but the effects on the reaction were negligible as seen from outside. Land personnel were sent aboard the ship to open the cargo containers on the 21st. As the cargo was aired, the smoke plume grew even more in a matter of minutes to a size of about 10 m in diameter and several hundred meters in length. On the 22nd, three special water pipes/spears were inserted inside the cargo and delivered water. The fire decayed in the following days and by March 1 the fire was declared extinguished. The Ostedijk was sent to the nearby port of Bilbao to unload the cargo.

The status of the current investigations are unknown. However, this kind of incident is a well-known hazard with some types of NPK fertilizers, and is responsible for the loss of several cargo ships and chemical plants (see examples in Ammonium nitrate disasters). Large stockpiles of the material can be a major fire risk due to their supporting oxidation, and may also detonate. Ammonium nitrate (AN), a common elements in inorganic fertilizers like NPKs, exothermically decomposes into gases when heated at temperatures above 210 °C. The reaction can become self-sustaining (known as self-sustaining decomposition, SSD) which is a thermal runaway (i.e. a fire event with a chemistry not based on oxygen consumption).

[edit] Chronology

Feb 17th, 2:30: the vessel makes the first emergency call while navigating at 50 miles north of A Coruña. The caption stops engines
The Spanish authorities sent a support team. Nothing wrong was detected and at 22:30 Ostedijk was allow to continue travel to Valencia accompanied by the tugboat Don Inda.
Feb 18th, 11:30: The captain radioed again that there was a "chemical reaction" in the cargo and that more white smoke was coming out of the section # 2 of the cargo. Engines were stopped again at 34 miles northeast of Cabo Vilán.
The Spanish authorities tugged the vessel to a position 14 miles north of Viveiro and started consulting with technical experts.
The gases affect the crew and four members are airlift and evacuated to a hospital.
On the morning of Feb 20th, a tugboat started throwing water over the ship's cover to cool down the cargo.
On Feb 21st personal was sent aboard the ship to open the cargo containers. The smoke plume grew even more
On Feb 22nd, special water pipes/spears were inserted inside the cargo.
On Feb 23rd, the fire was controlled.
On Feb 28th the vessels was allowed to continue its voyage but the destination is changed now to the nearby port of Bilbao.