Page 134 - Failure Analysis Case Studies II

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Fig. 3. Bow section of MV Kurdistan after breaking in two.

was reported. At 21.40, a third shudder was experienced, and - 150 ft (-46m) of the bow section
lifted up, severely distorting the deck plates, and the bow broke away from the aft section of the
ship (which was approximately two-thirds of the ship’s length).
The ship would have been in a sagging condition in a calm sea, meaning that the keel would be
in tension under these conditions. Hence, on breaking in two, the fractured ends of the two sections
of the ship dipped into the sea, with the bow and stern rearing out of the water (Figs 3 and 4). At
this point, the ship was abandoned. The 41 persons on board Kurdistan were all in the aft section
of the vessel. With the exception of the chief officer, who remained on the vessel, the crew and their

Fig. 4. Stern section of MV Kurdistan after breaking in two