Marine Accident Investigation Board News

An eight-day training course on the latest tools, processes and procedures in the investigation of marine incidents is taking place in Victoria, Seychelles (7-15 November). The course will focus in particular on how to carry out such investigations in accordance with the mandatory  International Maritime Organization (IMO)  Casualty Investigation Code. William Azuh of the Technical Cooperation Division and Ms Purity Thirimu of IMO Regional Presence Office, Nairobi, are coordinating the training course. Twenty five participants are drawn from the Seychelles Marine Accident Investigation Board, Department of Transport, Seychelles Maritime Safety Administration…

A 2,600-tonne cargo ship has run aground while docking close to berth at Corpach on Loch Linnhe at Fort William on the west coast of Scotland in windy conditions. Stornoway Coastguard said the alarm was raised this morning when the 91-metre ship Fri Sea went aground at high water at Corpach. Seven crew members remain on board the ship and there are no signs of any injuries, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. The Secretary Of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention is aware and is monitoring the situation, said the spokeswoman of MCA. It looks as if the strong winds that were blowing may have caught her when she was almost stopped in the water. The coastguard said it was likely an attempt to refloat the vessel would be made at high water on Sunday.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) released the report of the joint investigation on the grounding of the CP Valour in Baia da Praia do Norte, Faial, Azores on 9 December 2005. The Governments of Bermuda (where the ship was registered) and Portugal (the coastal state involved) participated in the investigation. The ship suffered an engine failure en route from Montreal to Valencia. The master decided to divert to the Azores and anchor in a sheltered bay so that the engine could be repaired. Passage planning to the bay was poor and bridge team management during the approach was negligible. As a result, the master became overloaded with duties and inadvertently left the engine on half ahead for several minutes while looking for the best anchorage.

Red Funnel's East Cowes - Southampton service was back to normal on March 14, after its Red Falcon car ferry crashed into the mainland dock on March 10, injuring nine people. The company announced its normal two-boat service for the time of year had been restored, although it was operating from a different berth. Until repairs can be made to the damaged linkspan, Red Funnel expects to be running the car ferry service from 25 berth, accessible through dock gate four at Southampton's Eastern Docks. The Hi-Speed service between Cowes and Southampton is unaffected and operating normally. Meanwhile, the master and mate of Red Falcon have been suspended.

A Brixham fishing vessel is now on its way back to Brixham after it collided with a chemical tanker 33.5 miles off Start Point. Brixham Coastguard overheard a conversation between two fishing vessels in the early hours of this morning on Channel 16 and contacted the vessels for further information. The 24 metre beam trawler ‘De Vrow Marie’ was fishing and showing its trawling lights when it was approached by a chemical tanker. The chemical tanker was head on with the fishing vessel and when it was 200 yards away took drastic action to avoid the fishing vessel. At the same time the fishing vessel took action to remove itself from the path of the tanker. However, the fishing vessel steered to starboard, as is the correct procedure, but the tanker steered to port and the two vessels collided.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) issued its report

The fatal accident during a marine evacuation system (MES) deployment drill in Dover Harbour last October, and the subsequent Safety Bulletin issued by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB Safety Bulletin 1/2003) last month, highlights a broader issue that has been of concern to Austal Ships for some time. Having been required to conduct many such evacuation trials as part of the commissioning process for fast ferry newbuilds, Austal is aware that there is potential for serious injury and, as the incident in Dover shows, even more tragic outcomes. Although the Safety Bulletin relates specifically to the vertical chute type MES, there is also a degree of injury risk in using other styles of MES.