Page 15 - CHIRP Annual Digest 2017

CHIRP Annual Digest 2017

of blacking out the vessel. This was only mentioned when the blackout was the starting of an additional generator. The
the pilot arrived on the bridge for departure. I called for vessel then proceeded to berth without further incident.
a second tug.
• Unmooring was slow due to winch pumps requiring changing- CHIRP Comment
over during the operations, both forward and aft. I recall The Maritime Advisory Board mentioned the following les-
this from previous operations with this vessel. sons to prevent reoccurrence;
• Elevator not working, fourteen decks from accommodation • Prior to standby it should be ensured that adequate
level to pilot embarkation deck, resulting in a slower than electrical power is available with additional plant engaged
expected transit time through the vessel. as necessary before the pilot boarding ground is reached,
• Ships VHF radio communications broken at times, could to cover all anticipated operations e.g. electro hydraulic
be a handset issue? winches, bow thruster, lighting, main engine.
• Anchors should have been cleared beforehand - vessel
CHIRP Comment only two miles off the beach.
The Maritime Advisory Board commented that many pilots • Are the pre-arrival checks appropriate – are they
do have the option to delay sailing, take the ship to anchor implemented correctly, who checks, and are they confirmed
until faults are rectified, and to inform Port State inspectors by the company? If the answer is in the negative, managers
(although the power to do so is unfortunately not universal). should then ask, why? (Potential management failings)
In this case there are several issues, all indicative of poor • Some companies conduct machinery drills, which are
mooring equipment design, work preparation and mainte- useful for training staff to respond to such incidents.
nance failings – overall a non-effective safety management • The incident identifies potential causal factors including
system. This is unfortunately not uncommon. Ship’s person- but not limited to;
nel often live and work with deficient equipment for such a o Latent Failures – Design, Hardware, Maintenance
long time that it becomes the standard, and is not regarded Management, Procedures, Training.
as being deficient. o Human Factors – Complacency, Local Practices,
Pressure, Fatigue, Situation Awareness.
What the Reporter told us (3):
Whilst berthing the vessel a tug order was missed resulting The above article was published in MFB49
in heavy contact with the berth. It appears that as an order
was given to each tug in quick succession, the order to the Article. 06
forward tug may have been blocked by a response from the
aft tug. This resulted in the tug continuing to push after the Advisory Board Insight: Small
order was given to stop. There was no damage because the craft man overboard and
rubber fenders absorbed the load adequately. As the shoul-
der landed first there was no damage, however if it had been subsequent treatment
the aft tug continuing to push there could have been damage
to the quarter with this type of vessel. It’s maybe not really a subject you may want to consider as
you step aboard your craft, but in the highly unlikely event of
CHIRP Comment finding yourself in the water, it would be nice to think your
The Maritime Advisory Board commented that a vessel’s crew could rescue you and then make sure you recover from
speed must be fully under control when approaching a the experience.
berth. The problem in this case was the rapid succession
of orders given to the tugs. Any instruction to a tug should For recovery operations
be considered before being transmitted. The view of the tug- on larger ships, IMO pro-
masters and their means of communication is an additional vides guidance in MSC1_
consideration. A publication giving guidance on “Standard Circ1182 “Guide to
Pilot Orders for Tugs” by The International Tugmasters Asso- recovery techniques”, but
ciation specifically discusses intervals between pilot orders for small craft, despite
for tugs and this becomes increasingly important when more the greater likelihood of a
than two tugs are utilised. The whole issue of tug orders and person falling overboard,
language is the subject of ongoing debate globally. this is often a subject
that skippers fail to con-
What the Reporter told us (4): sider. Operators of small
On approach to the port whilst under pilotage, a vessel expe- craft, including mooring
rienced a blackout approximately two miles NE of the inlet and leisure craft, should
leading to the final port approach. The main engine stopped, plan for and then exer-
although steerage and emergency electrical power was cise a situation where a person falls overboard. Equally
maintained. The vessel was proceeding inward bound with important, they should pay special attention to the crew’s
a speed of 5 knots. Both anchors were cleared away ready training for subsequent action and care.
for use. The generators were restarted after 2 minutes,
and all electrical power and systems brought back online. Recovery of the person overboard
Main engine and bow thruster were tested at this time. In First consider the freeboard of your boat – you will soon
consultation with the master, it was agreed to resume the realise that trying to get a person out of the water is not
approach. The master advised the pilot that the reason for as simple as it looks. The best method of recovery for low

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