Mars Reports 2013
The Nautical Institute has issued Mars Report No 63 regarding accident due to accommodation ladder failure.
A pilot and five other personnel safely boarded an inbound VLCC from a small boat via the port side accommodation ladder. The tanker, in ballast, had a freeboard of about 16 metres. Weather conditions were good with slight sea and a low swell. During preparations for berthing the crew were requested to recover the pilot ladder and to hoist the accommodation ladder to deck level to be clear of subsequent cargo hose handling operations.
One crew member was sent down, wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to release the lashings on the pilot ladder and accommodation ladder which were connected to the ship side lashing point. When this crewman was safely on deck the pilot ladder was brought up. However, as the accommodation ladder was being hoisted it suddenly fell down to hang vertically from its hinge pins, the bottom of the ladder submerged in the sea. At the same time the winch wires reached their full extent and were pulled out of their clamps and fell into the sea. Berthing operations were suspended to enable the ladder to be recovered.
Results of the investigation
Examination of the winch revealed that the welded connection between the drum and the cheek or side plate of the winch had sheared off. Since the drive shaft, gears and motor were connected to the side plate, the failure had allowed the drum of the winch to turn freely without any restraint. There was evidence of a previous attempt at repairing this same weld, yet there was no record of this repair on board. Any cracks in the weld would not ordinarily have been visible, being hidden under the layers of wire rope on the drum.
The vessel is 14 years old and the present owners acquired the ship over two years ago. The Master reported that the previous owner had completely removed all maintenance records prior to handover.
| Lessons learned Some shipping companies have a policy of attaching a preventer to the accommodation ladder which is tended around bitts or another strong point by the crew in order to support the ladder if hoisting or lowering arrangements fail. This has been based on experience of similar incidents and could be more generally adopted in the industry. Action taken Tanker will be required to submit documentary evidence of competent third party certification of repairs to the winch, and satisfactory examination of all boarding arrangements including winches, wires, sheaves and all associated equipment on both sides of the ship, before any future acceptance at the terminal. |
