Written by Nick Blenkey
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found that an O-ring seal failure caused a January 24, 2026, engine room fire on the 2020-built, 655-foot, ultramax bulk carrier Lem Verbena while it was docked at the Alabama State Docks on the Mobile River in Mobile, Ala., with 19 crewmembers on board.
The fire started at about 11.23 p.m. local time and the crew activated the vessel’s carbon dioxide fixed fire extinguishing system. Shoreside firefighters later determined the fire had been extinguished.
There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $5.5 million.…