MSAF Puts Foot Down
Human errors including lack of Bridge Resource Management (BRM) principles, improper navigational operations or faulty navigation instruments, bad weather conditions and or engine breakdown usually cause ship grounding accidents.
In a marine notice early this week Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) chief executive officer (CEO) Simon Gravenall said the notice was for the attention of vessel owners, operators, masters, crew, pilots and members of the public with regards to a vessel going aground.
“Alternate terms used when a vessel is grounded include beached, floundered, stuck, ashore, stranded, marooned, wrecked, disabled and or careening, allision (separate to collision), reefed, touched a reef, glanced a reef, gently touched bottom, kissed the bottom, nudged the land,” Mr Gravenall said. Emergency actions that need to be considered and taken in case of ship grounding include:
■ Immediate stop of engines;
■ Instant checking in order to ascertain any internal damage, water intakes or leakages and all watertight doors to be closed;
■ All stakeholders should be notified immediately;
Light/shapes and sound signals to be carried out;
Take control of
Record of vessel’s position, date and time of the incident; and possible pollution;
Keep the company/regulator/ emergency response organisations and nearby vessels informed.
“The vessel safety management system should have a procedure to prepare for and respond to emergency situations,” he said.
“In addition, ship operators and ship masters need to be aware of the rectification actions necessary to allow the ship to sail, as on impact, the ship’s hull integrity has been compromised and it needs to be assessed for any damage both internally and through an underwater inspection.
“The vessel will not be allowed to sail until such time as the ship operator has undertaken these requirements which should be witnessed
by a surveyor.
“The operator will need to make these arrangements and inform the travelling public about the cancellation of voyages during this period including use of social media. According to Mr Gravenall, in any intentional beaching operation, the operator needs to ensure their vessel has been built to allow for repeated operations of such type. “The operator will need to provide a Classification Society report that the vessel has been built with ‘Bottom Strengthened’ for beaching to occur and this will need to be included in its Safety Management System.”