WATCHOUT - The danger of distractions during lookout

20 Sep 2024 The Navigator

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

What happened?

A small cargo vessel was moving at around 12 knots in daylight with good visibility. The OOW, who was alone on the bridge, had looked out of the window to ascertain that there were no dangers of collision ahead. He then turned away from the window to attend to some admin tasks on the computer located aft in the wheelhouse.

A fishing trawler was operating nearby. The AIS had been set to passive, as the vessel had previously been trawling for prawns and wished to keep the prime fishing location secret from other boats in the area. The trawler was drifting slightly astern at around one knot due to the current and weight of the trawl net. The skipper saw the cargo vessel approaching directly and reactivated his AIS. However, he did not think it was necessary to communicate with it due to the clear visibility. Once he realised that a collision was about to occur, he took corrective action but it was too late and the two vessels made contact.

Both vessels sustained damage but no one was hurt in the incident. The two vessels returned to port for inspection and repairs.

Why did it happen?

  • The OOW of the cargo vessel relied on his look out of the window to judge the conditions outside without using any other means to back up his conclusions.

  • The OOW then took his attention away from the window to attend to admin on the computer, despite being alone on the bridge.

  • The fishing trawler only activated its AIS when the crew spotted the cargo vessel directly ahead.
  • Neither vessel communicated with the other, meaning that the collision occurred before anyone could take successful evasive action.

What lessons have been learned?

  • It is vital for those keeping watch not to allow any distractions to pull their attention away from what is going on outside the vessel, even if they are work related.

  • Vessels do not always have AIS activated, for various reasons, so assiduous lookout procedures, including visual means, are crucial to the safety of all.

The Nautical Institute’s Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS) - https://www.nautinst.org/resource-library/mars.html - comprises a fully searchable database of incident reports and lessons, updated every month. If you have witnessed an accident or seen a problem, email Captain Paul Drouin at [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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