BSU has issued investigation report on a very serious marine casualty resulting in the foundering of the grab dredger Zander and drowning of two seamen in the North Sea north of Norderney on November 24th, 2014.
The incident
The inland waterway vessel Zander was on a transfer voyage from Copenhagen to Eemshaven with two crew members. On the day of the incident, one crew member was caught by a wave and washed overboard. At this point, the Zander was about 5nm north of Norderney. A 0754, the Zander sent a distress call on VHG channel 16, reporting ‘Man overboard’ and water ingress.
The Zander foundered at 0812, which was just before the first ship that had rushed to assist arrived at the scene of the accident. A SAR helicopter later located the two crew members floating lifeless in the water. They were then recovered by a rescue cruiser’s tender. Attempts at resuscination were unsuccessful.
The report concludes that it was not possible to establish proper watertight intergrity. The life-saving appliances were incomplete and stowed inappropriately. With only two seamen, the manning of the Zander was not sufficient for normal ship operation and watchkeeping. This low manning level made coping with emergency situations, such as the water ingress, possible only to a very limited extent. Rescuing a person overboard was virtually impossible.
Further details may be found by reading the report
Source: BSU
