Saturday, April 4, 2015

SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM MARINE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS COMPLETED BY NTSB IN 2014









The National Transportation Safety Board today released its "Safer Seas 2014: Lessons Learned From Marine Accident Investigations" report. 

Safer Seas is a compilation of accident investigations that were published in 2014, organized by vessel type with links to the more detailed accident reports.

Of the 23 reports completed in 2014 by NTSB, fishing and towing vessels were the most common vessel types involved in accidents.
·         5 fishing vessel accident reports;
·         9 towing vessel accident repots

The report includes analysis of nine towing vessel accidents, including the July 3, 2013 capsizing of the tug Megan McB.  The pilot on board the vessel as it sailed through a dam gate in the Mississippi River did not know how to operate the vessel.  The Megan McB lost engine throttle control, and strong currents swept it into a gate where it overturned, trapping and killing a 22-year-old deckhand, one of three crew members aboard. 

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the pilot couldn’t avoid the gate because he didn’t know how to use the tow’s electronic engine control throttle. 

Also prevalent were fishing vessel accidents, with five summaries provided in the report.  In one, the uninspected fishing vessel Advantage was on a routine transit to fishing grounds in Alaska when it sank about 14 nautical miles southwest of Cape Barnabas on August 31, 2012.

A U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter retrieved three of the four crewmembers.  One was never found and was presumed dead, and the vessel’s captain later died. 

Mooring accidents have marred shipping’s safety performance for many years, and the report highlights two accidents, including a bollard failure that saw the Carnival Triumph break free and collide with two vessels, resulting in the death of a shipyard employee.

The sole cruise-related accident covers how bollard failure at the BAE Systems shipyard in Mobile resulted in Carnival Triumph breaking from its moorings and drifting across the river. One shipyard worker died and another was injured after the two men fell into the water. The damage totaled $3 million dollars.

There were no passengers on board.

The ship had been undergoing repairs at BAE Systems when a freak storm with high wind gusts caused Carnival Triumph's stern to swing away from the pier, straining the aft mooring lines. Bollards parted from their mounts, setting the ship adrift. Its bow collided with the dredge Wheeler, and another vessel became pinned between the hulls of the cruise ship and the dredge.

The NTSB accident investigation determined the probable cause as the successive failure of multiple mooring bollards, which were known by BAE Systems to be in poor condition with an undetermined mooring load capability.

Important safety issues

Lack of maintenance and lack of proper worker training are the predominant causes of failures in most industries.  The same holds true in the marine industry as well.  Some of the important issues raised in the report are: 

·         Control system understanding – Two casualties involved a lack of understanding of bridge equipment
·         Passenger safety during critical maneuvers – in particular the danger of passengers in stairwells during docking was highlighted
·         Proper maintenance of wooden vessels – two accidents highlighted how these vessels are susceptible to sinking in heavy weather if maintenance is not thorough
·         Crew training – inadequate response to fire on the marguerite L Terral and flooding on the Rocky B led to the loss of these vessels.

This is the second annual Safer Seas report. NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said it’s meant to be a “one-stop shop” where people in the maritime industry can view concise summaries of a year’s worth of accidents investigations. Hart says he’s learned that the report is being used in crew training and safety meetings, both on board and shoreside.