An incident where a vessel was towing a barge when the towing wire parted.
What happened?
A vessel was towing a barge when the towing wire parted. Earlier on the same day, the same towing wire had snagged and was damaged. The damaged wire was reused for towing and eventually parted during manoeuvring.
What went right?
- The crew switched to the alternative work wire, allowing the towing operation to continue safely.
- Drug and Alcohol tests for the involved personnel were negative, and all crew had sufficient rest hours.
What went wrong?
- The towing wire was too long (150–180 m) for the shallow water depth of around 25m, which meant it sagged and dragged along the seabed, causing damage to the wire.
- The snagging caused significant damage to about 30 m of the wire, and the damaged wire continued to be used rather than being removed or replaced.
Lessons learned
- Towing wires should be of an appropriate length for the waters in which they are used. Shorter wires should be used in shallow water to prevent contact with the seabed.
- Continuing to work with damaged equipment might appear to be a useful short-cut to save time and money, but can go seriously wrong. Stop and fix damaged equipment before continuing.