Contact made by tanker King Everest with buoy and snagging of buoy's cable
Location: North New Sand Buoy in the north-east approaches to Humber, England.
Completed PE Summary: King Everest
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Merchant Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel name | King Everest |
| Manager | OMCI Germany GmbH & Co. KG |
| Ship Owner | King Everest Shipping Company Ltd |
| Port of Registry | Majuro |
| Flag | Marshall Islands |
| Type | Tanker |
| Built | 2001 |
| Construction | Steel |
| Length Overall | 182.55m |
| Gross Tonnage | 23217 |
| Date/Time | 09/07/2009, 1655 (UTC) |
| Location of Incident | North New Sand Buoy in the north-east approaches to the Humber |
| Incident Type | Contact with buoy and subsequent snagging of the buoy’s cable |
| Persons Onboard | 24 |
| Injuries/Fatalities | None |
| Damage/Pollution | Minor damage |
Synopsis
King Everest was proceeding from anchorage ‘C’ towards the inbound entrance to the New Sand Hole traffic separation scheme (TSS). The tidal stream was setting south-south-east. On approaching the North New Sand buoy on the vessel’s port side, the master reduced speed and ordered hard-a-port. As the vessel was swinging to port, he reduced the helm order and then conversed with an outbound vessel on VHF radio to arrange a passing manoeuvre. On completing the call, the master realised that he had overshot his intended turn. He attempted to recover the situation using helm and engine movements; however, the strong tidal stream set the vessel down onto the North New Sand buoy, snagging the buoy’s anchor cable on her rudder horn.
As a result, there was slight indentation to the aft peak tank, minor damage to the rope guard and a notch on one propeller blade.
Action taken
OMCI Shipmanagement Pvt Ltd intends to circulate a copy of its internal investigation report, incorporating a number of proposed actions, including:
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Introduction of a quarterly navigation audit to identify problems with chart supply and corrections.
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Use of this incident as an exercise when providing 2-yearly Bridge Team Management (BTM) refresher training.
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Emphasis during BTM training on master’s expectations of the bridge team and the need to fully assess the passage plan, particularly when changes have been made at the last minute.
Humber Estuary Services has issued a General Notice to VTS requiring all vessels without pilots, getting under way from the Deep Water Anchorage and proceeding inwards via the New Sand Hole TSS:
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to be instructed to enter the inbound traffic lane from the north at Humber Light Float; and
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on a rising tide, to be advised that the flood stream will set them strongly to the south at the North New Sand buoy and that they should therefore pass at a safe distance before turning to enter the inbound traffic lane.
Additionally, vessels with suitable draughts will be provided with the option to proceed to the pilot station via the Sea Reach TSS. VTS operators have also been provided with tools to compare progress of vessels approaching the New Sand Hole TSS from the anchorage with an optimum track to enable early intervention where necessary.
While acknowledging the actions taken by the vessel’s manager, the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has written to the company, strongly advising it to:
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Ensure that BTM principles are applied and practised on board, by conducting regular check ride audits.
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Provide instructions for masters to comply with international requirements for the preservation of and access to VDR data in the event of an accident.
Published: August 2009