A loaded vessel was departing a berth in very confined waters without tug assistance. Winds were NNE, almost parallel with the berth, at about 25-30 knots. Two pilots were on board, but according to the company report, there were gaps in the master/pilot exchange.

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.

The bridge team did not have a shared understanding of the vessel’s handling characteristics and the planned manoeuvre was not held as a shared mental model.

As the vessel moved away from the berth, the stern came into heavy contact with the berth. A metal plate that had been fixed to the cement wall became lodged in the vessel’s side shell. The unberthing manoeuvre continued, and the vessel left the port, but went to anchorage for a damage assessment.

It was found that contact with the plate had caused a hull puncture. The hole was estimated to be 250 mm high and 120 mm wide.

Also read: Miscommunication results in ship hitting mooring dolphin

Advice from The Nautical Institute

  • In challenging weather conditions, without tugs and in confined waters, a reevaluation may be needed. Can the departure be postponed? In reality, any departure can be postponed if deemed too dangerous.
  • A shared mental model of a manoeuvre held by the entire bridge team is usually a safer plan than a plan held by one individual.

Also read: Ship hits mooring dolphins resulting in millions worth of damage

Mars Reports

This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202457, that are part of Report Number 385. 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.

Also read: BRM failure while docking results in a costly bump