Category Archives: Defences

Handover follow up

Initial Report A time-constrained handover took place on board a tanker at anchor the evening prior to a planned canal transit. The off-signing crew of 21, who had been on board for 11 months, were relieved by a complement of 14; the remainder scheduled to join at the next port. Over the following weeks the […]

Cargo damage due to water ingress into cargo hold No. 5

Initial Report A cargo vessel went to anchor and commenced pumping out ballast water from No1C Water Ballast Tank (WBT) to adjust its trim before a canal transit the following day. Shortly before pumping was completed, the bilge alarm for cargo hold No. 5 WBT activated. The Chief Officer instructed an ordinary seaman to take […]

Steering gear malfunction

Initial Report As a container ship was conducting outbound pilotage, the bridge team noticed a delay in response of the steering gear. At the same time, they noticed an alarm indicating “EMERGENCY – XX, SERVO LOOP”. The steering gear was in manual mode operated by Follow-Up (FU) No. 1 and No. 2 system control units. […]

Fatigue in the international towage sector

Initial report “Our work levels continue to be high regardless of the awful impact of COVID and this is further increased by a lack of manning. Some vessels are non-operational due to a variety of reasons causing additional workload on the operational tugs and the crews that man them.” The reporter stated that the fatigue […]

Lifeboat on-load cable release unit defect

Initial report During an annual lifeboat safety inspection it was discovered that the on-load cable release could not easily be moved, and the release lever required extreme force to operate. The forward hook cable release also did not operate properly. A replacement cable release arrangement was procured locally, and repeated tests were conducted to confirm […]

Pilots Corner – failures to comply with pilot ladder regulations

The following three short reports all concern failures to comply with the pilot ladder regulations. Initial Report (1) Trapdoor type combination, accommodation ladder platform less than five metres above the sea. The Pilot told the Master that in moderate sea and swell conditions access would not have been possible due to the risk of the pilot […]

Personal injury – Burn to body and face

Brief account of incident The vessel was alongside the berth. At 15.50 engineers started the removing the cover of the main engine fuel oil filter filter. Hot fuel sprayed onto the body and face of one of the engineers who was transferred to the ship’s hospital for immediate medical attention, while urgent transportation to hospital […]

Failure to declare reportable cases on entering port

Outline: A conscious decision not to declare notifiable disease symptoms on board when entering port put the pilot, dockworkers, and the wider community at risk. What the reporter told us: Following a full crew change in port, the vessel sailed that evening and went to anchor outside the port. Soon after joining, two of the […]

Fire and sinking of a motor yacht

Outline: CHIRP Maritime received a newly-published flag state investigation report and safety bulletin regarding the above fire with an invitation to promulgate the contents to the wider maritime community. What the reporter told us: The vessel concerned was a privately owned leisure vessel (although it had in the past been operated commercially for a short […]

Sailing boat propeller fouled

Outline: The following report reflects a perennial problem for coastal yachting. What the reporter told us: Whilst coastal sailing in wind force 4-5 at 6-7 knots an odd noise was heard, similar to a wave slapping the side of the boat. Nothing else unusual was apparent. Approximately two hours later, and after about an hour’s […]