Marine Diesel & Steam Plant Engines (Merchant Marine) — Asbestos Exposure Crosswalk
What This Equipment Is
Merchant marine vessels — tankers, bulk carriers, containerships, general cargo ships, cruise ships, ferries, Great Lakes ore boats — use a range of propulsion plants distinct from the steam-turbine combatants of the U.S. Navy ship-class catalog. Major categories include:
- Slow-speed marine diesels — large two-stroke crosshead engines (MAN B&W, Sulzer, Mitsubishi) directly coupled to the propeller shaft
- Medium-speed marine diesels — four-stroke trunk engines (Wärtsilä, MAN B&W, MaK, Caterpillar) driving through reduction gear
- Marine steam plants — historically dominant on Great Lakes ore boats, World War II Liberty Ships, Victory Ships, and some tanker / break-bulk carriers (see Naval Boiler Products for related material)
- Marine gas turbines — selected high-speed vessels and fast ferries
- Auxiliary engines — diesel-generator sets providing shipboard electrical power
Every propulsion plant — and every auxiliary — uses extensive insulation, gasketing, and packing materials. The historical era (1940s–1980s) consistently specified asbestos for marine service.
Asbestos Products Historically Used Around Marine Engines
| Product Category | Where on the Plant | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust-manifold insulation | Engine exhaust runs | Block insulation, asbestos cloth |
| Pipe covering | Steam, fuel, lube-oil, cooling-water piping | Magnesia, calcium silicate (see Pipe Insulation) |
| Block insulation | Boiler casings (steam plants), heat exchangers | Calcium silicate, magnesia |
| Gaskets | Cylinder heads, exhaust flanges, lube/fuel system | Asbestos sheet, spiral-wound |
| Valve packing | Engine valves, isolation valves throughout | Braided asbestos rope packing |
| Removable insulation blankets | Around frequently-accessed components | Sewn asbestos cloth + asbestos batting |
Why Merchant Marine Engineering Was a Heavy Asbestos Exposure
Marine engineers, engine-room mechanics, oilers, wipers, and licensed-deck personnel on watch in engineering spaces routinely encountered asbestos materials. Voyage maintenance, repair-port work, periodic Coast Guard inspections, and major shipyard overhauls all involved disturbing legacy asbestos insulation, gaskets, and packing. Shipyard workers performing the heavy overhauls between voyages handled bulk asbestos in compressed yard-period schedules (parallel to the Navy Shipyard Pipe Covering exposure).
Great Lakes ore-boat workers, deep-sea merchant mariners (under various union collective bargaining agreements and U.S. flag certifications), and tugboat / harbor-craft engineers all developed asbestos-exposure cohorts documented in subsequent merchant-marine asbestos litigation under the Jones Act.
Manufacturers Named in Marine-Engine Litigation
- MAN B&W — slow-speed marine diesel OEM
- Sulzer — slow-speed marine diesel OEM
- Wärtsilä — medium-speed marine diesel OEM
- Caterpillar Marine — medium-speed engines
- General Electric (Marine) — marine steam turbines
- Westinghouse Marine — marine steam turbines
- Babcock & Wilcox — marine boilers
- Foster Wheeler — marine boilers
- Combustion Engineering — marine boilers
- Johns-Manville — insulation throughout
- Owens-Corning / Fibreboard — Kaylo
- Garlock Sealing Technologies — gaskets and packing
Documented Product References
Images sourced from publicly available product-identification reference materials. Inclusion does not constitute a finding of liability against any company.
Trust Funds That May Apply
- Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust
- Owens-Corning / Fibreboard Asbestos PI Trust
- Babcock & Wilcox Company Asbestos PI Trust
- Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust
- Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC Asbestos PI Trust
- Jones Act — separate statutory framework available to merchant mariners for occupational injury claims, often pursued in parallel with civil litigation
Service Roles Most Exposed at Marine Engineering Work
Merchant marine engineers (chief engineer, first / second / third engineers, qualified members of the engine department, oilers, wipers), tugboat and harbor-craft engineers, ferry-boat engineers, Great Lakes ore-boat engineering crews, shipyard repair-period mechanics, U.S. Coast Guard marine inspectors.
Cross-References
- See companion pages: Naval Boiler Products, Shipyard Pipe Covering, Marine Gaskets, Ship Engine Room Insulation, Steam Turbines, Boilers
Compiled from publicly filed asbestos litigation, Jones Act case records, U.S. Coast Guard merchant-marine documentation, NIOSH merchant-marine exposure studies, and industry-publication histories. Product and company references reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed litigation. This page does not constitute a finding of liability against any company. Not legal advice; consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Merchant mariners may also pursue Jones Act claims in addition to or in parallel with civil litigation against product manufacturers.