Hong Kong Merchant Shipping draws lessons learned from an incident on board a vessel off the eastern coast of South Africa, where severe weather and operational lapses led to crew injuries and the loss of life.
The incident
When the vessel was heading southwest off the eastern coast of South Africa, it experienced moderate pitching due to severe weather, causing seawater to frequently surge over the forward mooring deck from the port bow. On the morning of the accident, the bosun store was found severely flooded with seawater. A team of crew members was organised to pump out the accumulated water.
In the evening, after the vessel’s heading had been adjusted, the crew members proceeded to the forward mooring deck to cover the gooseneck vents of the bosun store with tarpaulin to prevent seawater ingress.
As the work neared completion, the bow of the vessel was struck by two consecutive huge waves. Although the team had been alerted to take immediate shelter from the huge waves, only one person managed to escape from the impact.
The remaining crew members were injured, and the O/S was found unconscious on the deck. The injured were then transferred to the shipboard hospital for first aid treatment. The O/S was ultimately declared dead following a remote radio medical consultation.
The investigation identified the following contributory factors leading to the incident, in addition to the severe weather:
- the master of the vessel (the master) failed to properly adjust the vessel’s course and/or speed to avoid encountering huge waves;
- the ship crew failed to secure all watertight doors and booby hatches in accordance with the requirements of the shipboard Safety Management System (SMS) before the arrival of forecasted severe weather;
- the master failed to take appropriate precautionary measures while navigating along the coast of South Africa as required by the shipboard SMS, such as reducing the vessel’s speed to a very moderate level;
- the ship crew did not conduct a risk assessment for hazardous work as required by the shipboard SMS, and neither the master nor the chief officer took proper measures to ensure crew safety; and
- the safety training on board was ineffective, particularly with regard to safety awareness and practical measures against severe weather conditions.
Lessons learned
In order to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents in the future, ship management companies, all masters, officers and crew members should note the following items:
- strictly comply with the requirements of shipboard SMS to secure all watertight doors and booby hatches before the arrival of forecasted severe weather and properly adjust the vessel’s course and/or speed to ensure safety;
- pay special attention to the dangers posed by severe weather in specific sea areas and ensure that proper safety precautionary measures are taken, including reducing vessel speed to a very moderate level when navigating off the coast of South Africa;
- strictly follow the requirements of shipboard SMS to conduct a risk assessment for hazardous operations and ensure the senior officers take proper measures to safeguard crew safety; and
- provide effective and pertinent safety training on board to enhance crew members’ safety awareness and understanding of practical measures against severe weather conditions.