A towing vessel in a river waterway was pushing a barge loaded with aggregate when the lone operator in the wheelhouse fell asleep at the helm. The Nautical Institute describes the incident in a new 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.
The barge struck a bulk liquid transfer terminal, resulting in more than USD 1.5 million in property damage to the barge, handling equipment, and the facility.
Also read: Fatigue leads to passenger vessel grounding
Motion detectors tripped by cables and fans
The investigation identified the failure of the Wheelhouse Alerter System (equivalent to a BNWAS) to detect the lack of motion from the operator as a key contributing factor. The system relied on passive infrared (PIR) detectors to monitor motion in the wheelhouse, and was set to sound an alert if no motion had been detected for ten minutes.
However, the PIR sensors were tripped by non-human movements such as swinging cables and oscillating fans, causing the system to continually reset the timer – and thus failing to detect the operator’s inactivity. Additionally, the system used was not designed by a marine equipment manufacturer, which raises concerns about its reliability in marine environments.
Also read: Procedural flaws, fatigue cause undocking accident
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Although the Wheelhouse Alerter System did not function as required, neither did the operator. He fell asleep. Why? Crew work schedules, minimum safe manning numbers, company policies, crew practices…just a few of the possible upstream underlying factors.
- A single operator in the wheelhouse is a classic example of potential ‘single point failure’.
Also read: Fatigue and weak bridge practices contribute to expensive allision
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202551. 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.
