Engine room fire
Bulk carrier Cuyahoga
Kingsville, Ontario
The occurrence
On 23 May 2023, the bulk carrier Cuyahoga reported having sustained a fire in the engine roomwhile navigating on Lake Erie, Ontario, with 20 people on board. The fixed fire extinguishing system was activated.
The vessel lost propulsion and dropped anchor near Kingsville, Ontario. There were no reported injuries. The TSB is investigating.
Media materials
Deployment notice
TSB will deploy a team of investigators to Kingsville, Ontario following an engine room fire onboard the bulk carrier Cuyahoga
Québec, Quebec, 25 May 2023 — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will deploy a team of investigators to Kingsville, Ontario, to investigate an engine room fire onboard the bulk carrier Cuyahoga, which occurred on 23 May 2023. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence.
Investigation information
M23C0104
Engine room fire
Bulk carrier Cuyahoga
Kingsville, Ontario
Investigator-in-charge
Matthew Stares joined the TSB in 2022 as a Senior Regional Investigator in the Marine branch’s Central region. Mr. Stares began his seagoing career in 2005 as a marine engineer on Canadian flagged bulk carriers. Prior to joining the TSB, he worked as a senior marine engineer and vessel maintenance manager with the Canadian Coast Guard. Mr. Stares holds a 2nd class engineer motor ship certificate of competency issued by Transport Canada. He also holds a diploma of Marine Engineering Technology and a bachelor’s degree in technology with a major in Engineering and Applied Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Download high-resolution photos from the TSB Flickr page.
Class of investigation
This is a class 3 investigation. These investigations analyze a small number of safety issues, and may result in recommendations. Class 3 investigations are generally completed within 450 days. For more information, see the Policy on Occurrence Classification.
TSB investigation process
There are 3 phases to a TSB investigation
- Field phase: a team of investigators examines the occurrence site and wreckage, interviews witnesses and collects pertinent information.
- Examination and analysis phase: the TSB reviews pertinent records, tests components of the wreckage in the lab, determines the sequence of events and identifies safety deficiencies. When safety deficiencies are suspected or confirmed, the TSB advises the appropriate authority without waiting until publication of the final report.
- Report phase: a confidential draft report is approved by the Board and sent to persons and corporations who are directly concerned by the report. They then have the opportunity to dispute or correct information they believe to be incorrect. The Board considers all representations before approving the final report, which is subsequently released to the public.
For more information, see our Investigation process page.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.