NRP MONDEGO LOSES TWO ELECTRIC GENERATORS AND TWO PROPULSION ENGINES

The NRP Mondego suffered a breakdown according to the Navy’s information note.

On the night of March 27, 2023, about 8 km south of the port of Funchal, towards Selvagens, the NRP “Mondego” suddenly lost its two electrical generators and two propulsion engines.

The ship was always safe, having been called two tugboats that towed it, without incidents, to the Port of Caniçal.

The ship is operational and the cause of the sudden stop of four diesel engines, two electric generators and two thrusters, resulted from low fuel levels in the service tank that feeds the respective engines and generators.

After replenishing fuel in the service tank, the two generators and two thrusters started up without any problems.

The ship is recovered and sailed today. Investigations are underway to determine what failed to respond to the low fuel level warning mechanism in the service tank and its replacement by transferring one of the nine reserve tanks on board.

The time taken to restore the ship to service was due to the need to collect evidence on the causes of the incident and record the condition of the platform. This process involved, from the outset, the need to test the fuel quality of all the tanks in order to exclude their stoppage due to degradation of the same, which led the ship to be inactive, without electrical generators, for two days. During this period, Mondego was supported by the NRP “Setúbal” moored at the same pier.

From Jornal Madeira