The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) April 2017 report indicates that passage planning, crew safety and equipment training, and maintenance is vital in preventing accidents.
In its 2017 Safety Digest Lessons from Marine Accidents, MAIB outlines how and why accidents occur on merchant and fishing vessels.
According to Steve Clinch Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, taking unnecessary risks to save time or get a job done more quickly is a key contributor to maritime accidents. Guy Platten Chief Executive, UK Chamber of Shipping says that complacency, communication and perceived commercial pressures cause individuals to act in a way that set off the series of events which ultimately ends in tragedy.
The Safety Digest uses a range of case studies to illustrate the breadth of incidents and the sequence of events leading up to them.
One study illustrates the lessons that can be learned from the capsize of a cement carrier from extreme sea conditions. On this occasion, none of the crew survived and the alarm was not raised until 25 hours later when the ship’s sinking hull was spotted by a passing ferry.
Although the hazards of this route were well-known and the ship had passed through it many times before, 3 months before a different route was taken due to weather conditions which resulted in the cement cargo to shift and a dangerous stability situation.
The report indicates that passage planning is vital. Understanding environmental conditions and not underestimating the severity of conditions or being overconfident in the vessel’s sea-keeping capability is crucial.
Thorough crew training on different operational risks including equipment and material dangers to ensure they are not underappreciated is also necessary, according to the findings.
P&I Club, the American Club, stated this week that machinery integrity is the largest contributor to ship deficiencies (accounting for 34% of ships detained), indicating the importance of correct machine operation in safe ship operation.
The full report can be read here.
Fathom-News
editor@fathom-mi.com
