Having a crew perform a job such as unlashing containers, which is normally a task for stevedores, requires a full risk assessment and appropriate mitigating measures. The Nautical Institute gives this warning in a new Mars Report, in which unlashing by the ship’s own crew resulted in a fatality.
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.
A feeder container ship docked in the early morning hours before sunrise. Soon after the gangway was in place, the port lashing foreman boarded the ship to carry out safety checks on deck for the cargo working areas.
After his safety inspection, the foreman informed the chief officer (CO) that he had safety concerns about the containers at the outboard rows of bay 18, and the terminal’s stevedores would not unlash these containers. Although this task was normally done by shore stevedores, it was the port’s policy that two persons were necessary to accomplish the task safely, and there was not enough space on the pedestal platform at bay 18 for two stevedores to perform the work.
The CO decided to marshal some crew for the task in order not to delay unloading. Two deck crew (crew 1 and 4) were assigned to unlash the containers at the outboard rows of bay 18, port and starboard. The bosun was to join the team as soon as he finished securing the forward and aft mooring stations.
Also read: Inspections show container lashings must improve
Crew member falls overboard
At one point during the task, crew 4 could be seen struggling to remove the swivel head from the outer bottom corner casting
of the third tier container, which was well above his head and required him to look upwards. He was manoeuvring the swivel head to unlatch it from the container bottom casting, a task that requires both hands, not to mention skill, effort and strength. The lashing rod weighed almost 24 kg and was 4.85 metres long. It took crew 4 three to four minutes to unlatch the swivel head.
When the swivel head of the lashing rod came free of the corner caster, crew 4 immediately attempted to lower the rod, but it
swayed sideways towards the berth and quickly gathered downward momentum.
Crew 4, still holding the lashing rod, fell overboard between the vessel and the berth, falling through the gap between the pedestal platform fencing and the container. Emergency procedures were instigated, but the victim was pulled from the sea about 2.5 hours after the accident and was pronounced dead.

Investigation findings
The investigation found, among other things, that lashing and unlashing tasks are commonly performed by stevedores in
many parts of the world. These stevedores are specifically trained for the physical demands of specific cargo tasks such as container work. Such a physical skill requires time and practice to develop. Ship’s crew may have limitations when performing such tasks as these are not their primary roles.
Also read: ‘STOP work’ doesn’t translate well and results in MOB fatality
Lessons learned
- This tragic accident underscores the importance of not rushing into a job, especially one that is not a common onboard practice, without properly assessing the risks involved and the appropriate mitigating measures.
- The two crew members unlashing containers at the outboard rows of bay 18 did not don fall protection or flotation devices, even though the task presented hazards such as working at height and risk of falling overboard.
- The port’s safety policy required two stevedores to safely undertake unlashing tasks. This should have been a red flag to the vessel’s CO to undertake a risk assessment and safety briefing with his crew before work began.
Also read: Take 2: Lax safety culture and bad design result in MOB fatality
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202460, that are part of Report Number 386. 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: Dutch ILT drones find lashing violations on container ships