Always have a proper passage plan and appropriate scale charts warns The Nautical Insitute in a new Mars Report. In the incident described, a fishing vessel grounded after setting a course using just a chart plotter.
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 medium sized fishing vessel with 27 crew on board drifted overnight, waiting until the next day to make their scheduled arrival at the pilot boarding area. When the master and the chief officer took over the watch the next morning it was still dark.
Using the chart plotter, which was not an ECDIS, the master set the course straight to the pilot boarding area. About forty minutes later, the vessel ran aground on charted rocks at the periphery of an island at a speed of about eight knots. The vessel did not have the proper large-scale charts for the area, and the chart plotter did not show the rocks.
A small hole was observed in the bow as well as a damaged propeller. Luckily, the vessel could be refloated at high water and towed into port.
Also read: Speed and distractions end in grounding
Investigation findings
The investigation determined that the master had based his decision on an incorrect understanding that they had safe water. Had an appraisal been conducted and a formal voyage plan prepared based on the applicable charts and nautical publications, it is virtually certain the navigational hazards would have been identified and a course set that kept the vessel clear of those hazards.
Also read: Fatigue leads to passenger vessel grounding
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- It may seem like a “beginner’s mistake” not to have a proper passage plan and appropriate scale charts (or ECDIS), but the professional mariners involved in this accident were not amateurs.
- Relying exclusively on a chart plotter for positioning is obviously a mistake but other groundings have occurred while using fully compliant ECDIS. In particular, the safety depths (and/or contours) have been incorrectly entered, among others, thus showing safe water where none was for the vessel in question. See Mars Reports 201505, 201660, 201875.
Also read: One grounding not enough to warrant attention
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202541. 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.
