Substandard nitrogen quads delivered to shipyard
- Safety Flash
- Published on 21 May 2013
- Generated on 26 August 2025
- IMCA SF 08/13
- 2 minute read
A Member has reported an incident in which two nitrogen quads were delivered in very poor condition to a vessel in a shipyard.
What happened?
Following delivery the quads were inspected, and observations were made regarding the amount of corrosion around the necks and valve areas of the bottles.
The nitrogen quads were immediately quarantined and removed to a safe area of the yard to await collection by the supplier.
Our member noted that:
- The quads were delivered by a company-approved supplier.
- The quads were delivered with a full certification pack.
corrosion and poor condition of gas quads as delivered
corrosion and poor condition of gas quads as delivered
Lessons learnt
Our Member drew the following conclusions:
- The incident highlights the importance of checking ALL equipment upon arrival and before use to ensure that it is fit for purpose.
- Certification documents ought not be used as proof that equipment is fit for purpose. Always check equipment.
- If equipment is found to be in unsafe condition on delivery, this should be reported and the necessary precautions taken to ensure that the equipment is not used until the defect has been rectified or other equipment supplied.
- Suppliers should also be audited (as required) to ensure that they have suitable management systems in place to provide fit for purpose equipment and services.
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