During a safety walkaround on a vessel, it was observed that several type C watertight doors (doors that must remain closed at all times and opened only when personnel pass through them) were routinely kept open while underway. The incident is discussed in The Nautical Institute’s latest Mars Report.
The Nautical Institute gathers reports of maritime accidents and near-misses. It then publishes these so-called Mars (Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme) Reports (anonymously) to prevent other accidents from happening. This is one of these reports.
It was expressly indicated in the vessel’s procedures that these doors must remain closed while at sea.
A review of similar cases on two other fleet vessels found that watertight doors were left open after the regular engine room walk around, as this was a regular activity and there was ‘no point to open and close [them] each time.’
It was also found that some crew were not aware of the relevant SOLAS and SMS requirements or the importance of keeping type C watertight doors closed at sea in case of emergency.
Also read: Is your fire suppression system connected to the emergency power supply?
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Watertight doors are critical elements in preventing the ingress of water from one compartment to another during flooding or accidents. The seaworthiness of the vessel depends on their proper use.
- As with many safety critical elements on a vessel, acceptance of procedures such as keeping type C watertight doors closed by crew is dependent on the safety leadership of senior officers and the master.
Also read: Leak while bunkering caught in time
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202440, that are part of Report Number 381. A selection of the Mars Reports are also published in the SWZ|Maritime magazine. The Nautical Institute compiles these reports to help prevent maritime accidents. That is why they are also published (in full) on SWZ|Maritime’s website.
More reports are needed to keep the scheme interesting and informative. All reports are read only by the Mars coordinator and are treated in the strictest confidence. To submit a report, please use the Mars report form.
Picture: Ship corridor with watertight doors for illustrative purposes (by Hervé Cozanet, Marine-Marchande.net, supplied to Wikimedia Commons with permission to reuse the picture).
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