Transponder explosion
- Safety Flash
- Published on 1 August 1999
- Generated on 20 January 2026
- IMCA SF 05/99
- 1 minute read
We have received a report of an incident on one of our members’ vessels where a Simrad SHT SPT 319 transponder was retrieved from the seabed.
What happened?
Once on deck and during the opening procedure of the housing, to enable the batteries to be checked, there was a build-up of internal pressure. This caused an explosion of the internal casing resulting in flying debris and the subsequent formation and release of possibly toxic gases. Fortunately no-one was injured in this incident.
Recommendations
The contractor involved has advised its personnel to treat all transponders with care and if there is any doubt about any unit it should be put in safe quarantine until expert help is arranged. They advise that Simrad’s operations manual should be referenced for safety guidelines.
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