In the Monthly Safety Scenario Case for January, a container vessel ran aground when departing the berth after loading. There was a delay and several times communication between the staff didn’t work properly.

Strong winds made the departure difficult. The Pilot’s plan was for the vessel to go astern and swing to port and clear the end of the berth and then follow the fairway. Here the lack of communication started: The Pilot did not explain the plan to the Master and the Master didn’t ask the Pilot about any plan.

The vessel started to come around, but it also drifted towards a buoy. The Chief Officer informed the Pilot and Master but neither of them took any attention. The vessel continued its movement and hit the buoy, which was dragged underneath the vessel and damaged the propeller, rudder and rudder stock. The damage caused the vessel to lose its steering and because of the damage the Master stopped the main engine. This caused the vessel to start drifting even quicker towards shallow waters…

Read the MSS Case January 2020 »

For more Loss Prevention information, please contact: 
Joakim Enström, Loss Prevention Officer
E-mail: joakim.enstrom@swedishclub.com

Each month the Club’s Loss Prevention team issues a new safety scenario to assist members in their efforts to comply with international safety regulations and to follow best practice. 

When discussing the case please consider that the actions taken at the time made sense for all involved. Do not only judge, but also ask why you think these actions were taken and could this happen on your vessel?