Parting of mooring ropes from unmanned general cargo vessel Fast Ann and subsequent contact with jetty
Location: Immingham Oil Terminal, England.
Completed PE Summary: Fast Ann
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Merchant Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Fast Ann |
| Registered Owner | Acetech Construction Ltd |
| Port of Registry | De-registered |
| Flag | None |
| Type | General cargo |
| Built | 1980 |
| Construction | Steel |
| Length Overall | 85.86m |
| Gross Tonnage | 1740 |
| Date/Time | 19/01/2010, 0058 (UTC) |
| Location of incident | Immingham Oil Terminal |
| Incident Type | Equipment failure and contact |
| Persons Onboard | Unmanned |
| Injuries/Fatalities | None |
| Damage/Pollution | Damage to vessel’s bow structure and starboard side railings and damage to the oil terminal’s structure to support the pipelines |
Synopsis
Fast Ann a decommissioned and unmanned cargo vessel waiting to be dismantled, parted her moorings on an ebb tide in dense fog in the River Humber. Her radar echo was acquired and tracked by Humber Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), who made several unsuccessful attempts to establish communications with the unknown contact. A pilot vessel and two tugs were then tasked to investigate. One of the tugs managed to identify the vessel and made fast a tow line to her stern. Dense fog and a strong ebb tide of about 4 knots hindered the efforts of the tug, which could not prevent Fast Ann from making contact with the Immingham Oil Terminal structure.
Actions taken
Acetech Construction Ltd has:
- Reviewed its procedures on mooring decommissioned vessels.
- Submitted proposals to Humber Estuary Services on future securing arrangements.
- Invited Humber Estuary Services to inspect securing arrangements.
- Undertaken to keep the site manned for the first four high tides following a mooring operation.
Humber Estuary Services has:
- Reviewed its risk assessment on the hazards of mooring breakouts and, as a result, has introduced further control measures.
- Agreed on the feasibility of the proposals submitted by Acetech Construction Ltd and has inspected the site.
- Undertaken to review the performance of VTS and the assets deployed so as to take forward any lessons from this accident.
Published: 22 February 2010