WATCHOUT Collision in clear sight

01 Oct 2018 The Navigator

In this series, we take a look at maritime accident reports and the lessons that can be learned

What happened?
A bulk carrier and a fast utility vessel collided, in daylight and in good visibility.

At the time of the collision, the responsibility of lookout on the fast utility vessel was delegated to an unqualified deck hand. The deck hand noticed the bulk carrier on the AIS, but did not understand what he was seeing, and expected the chief officer to take action if there was any risk. The chief officer was unaware of the vessel.

On the bulk carrier, the officer of the watch saw the fast utility vessel approaching, but judged it to be on a track that would cross clear of own ship. He failed to use any of the available electronic navigational aids, such as radar or AIS, to back up this decision.

Neither vessel took any action to change course or avoid the other ship, causing a collision that resulted in minor damage to both ships.

Why did it happen?

  • The deckhand was not qualified to perform his duties as lookout and did not receive adequate support from the bridge team
  • The OOW on the bulk carrier did not realise how close the other vessel was to his own, and so did not take any corrective action 
  • Despite the bulk carrier being equipped with multiple electronic navigational aids, neither the OOW, nor his colleagues used any of them to determine the risk of collision

What changes have been made?
The bulk carrier’s company has circulated the collision report to its other vessels to remind everyone of the importance of a properly experienced and supported lookout Additionally, all navigational officers will receive enhanced training in lookout and collision risk procedures

THE DECKHAND WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO PERFORM HIS DUTIES AS LOOKOUT AND DID NOT RECEIVE ADEQUATE SUPPORT FROM THE BRIDGE TEAM

Find the report in full here

If you find our accident reports useful, check out The Nautical Institute’s Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS). A fully
searchable database of incident reports and lessons, updated every month. Seen a problem yourself? Email the editor at
Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme [email protected] and help others learn from your experience. All reports are confidential – we will never identify you or your ship.

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