Outline: A report about flooding that could have had a tragic outcome. What the reporter told us: A large yacht (100m+) weighed anchor and got under way with the intention of completing a 2-hour passage to another anchorage. The weather was good and the sea calm. Approximately 10 minutes after getting under way, an alarm […]
Outline: A captain reports a disconcerting discovery while approaching the berth. What the reporter told us: My vessel was arriving at a regularly visited port at which we take a pilot and two tugs for manoeuvring when berthing in a cargo basin with a narrow entrance channel. My ship was proceeding at less than 2kts […]
Outline: A report highlighting a complete lack of respect for the water that could have turned into a tragedy. What the reporter told us: At approximately 16:15 a friend and I were anchoring a RIB just off the beach. I was approached by a man in a wetsuit who asked for assistance as he had […]
Three reports illustrating different aspects of an ongoing problem. Outline (1): A report received detailing a lucky escape What the reporter told us: While boarding the vessel at the pilot exchange station, one of the side ropes snapped. No other pilot ladders were available. Further dialogue: Luckily, the pilot had only climbed two steps when […]
On many vessels I have sailed on we have the same situation – the bosun tightens the bolts and chief officers and masters do not pay any attention to this problem. But the consequences of this wrong adjustment are slow speed of winch, damage to the brake liner, slackening of ropes and anchor and possibly […]
Several years ago, I was reading an article about a rescue boat that parted the fall wire and fell into the dock during a practice drill because it was overweight due to water entering the buoyancy spaces – one person was killed and two others badly injured. The next day I checked our own rescue […]
Outline: Without effective communication safety is compromised. What the reporter told us: I would like to report three issues I encountered on what should have been a routine pilotage operation, that effectively resulted in a complete lack of effective BRM and communication. The initial area of concern was that communication with the bridge team was […]
Outline: Defects, errors and anomalies with equipment do occur, but once they are identified they need to be addressed and resolved in a timely fashion. What the reporter told us: The vessel’s ECDIS displayed an incorrect position – the vessel was displayed halfway over the wharf when alongside. In addition, the vessel’s AIS had significantly […]
Outline: This report from a captain reinforces the need to be thoroughly familiar with the equipment on board your ship. What the reporter told us: During the handover prior to taking command, I noted the echo sounder manufacturer and the type of installation. This ship had two transducers, one forward and one aft. There was […]
Outline: Nobody ever deliberately sets out to have an accident or to injure themselves, but some people appear to try very hard. What the reporter told us: Whilst our vessel was alongside, I observed the following on an adjacent vessel. A crew member (or possibly a contractor) was standing on the outside of the back […]