Be situationally aware warns The Nautical Institute in a new Mars Report. In the incident described, an accommodation ladder was lowered on request without taking into consideration the vessel’s motions.
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 tanker had arrived at berth to load a fuel parcel. Once mooring was completed, the starboard accommodation ladder was prepared for the embarkation of local authorities, including the agent and the terminal personnel.
Upon embarkation of the first group of terminal workers, they requested that the vessel lower the ladder somewhat to reduce the gap from the dock. The ladder was subsequently lowered, but now was below the level of the jetty.
As the vessel was moving somewhat, both vertically (15 cm) and horizontally (30 cm), the ladder hit the dock and suffered damage before it could be raised above the level of the jetty.
Also read: Accommodation ladder not accommodating
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Consider your actions before executing them – bad consequences are a possibility, so be situationally aware.
- Sometimes we rush to please others. Stay focused on safety.
Also read: Pilot ladder crimp glitch caught in time
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202508. 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: Deadly man overboard while rigging pilot combination ladder
