- What if a ship collision happened? What needs to be done?
- Actions to be taken in case of ship grounding
- Fire onboard
- Always be prepared for a heavy weather phenomenon
- What to do in case of hull failure
- The importance of understanding ship stability
- The case of ship flooding
- How to act during a cargo shifting
- Main engine failure can lead to accident
- Steering failure is more common than we think
- Necessary steps required in case of power failure
- "Man overboard"
- How Search And Rescue works
- Personnel injuries and illness when onboard
- Rescue from Enclosed Space
- Helicopter operations
- Marine salvage operations
- Oil pollution
- What can make towing dangerous
- Actions required in case of machinery spaces casualty
Although technology has conferred in many ways the safety in shipping industry, it’s a fact that ship collision incidents continue to happen, constituting one of the most common types of maritime accidents.
Probable causes of ship collision incidents
As we all know, collision is a structural impact that occurs between two vessels and may result in severe damages, pollution or even loss of human lives. Most ship collisions have been caused by
- lack of communication between vessels,
- incompetence,
- poor knowledge,
- restricted visibility
- bad weather conditions
- failures of critical system for vessels’ navigation.
Real life incident
On May 17th, 2017, two bulk carriers were transiting in Singapore Strait. Vessel A suffered a power loss, which resulted in a temporary loss of propulsion and steering. The vessel did not warn VTIS or the surrounding vessels. Due to the loss of power, the AIS transmission ceased, causing the loss of the AIS plot. Vessel B’s bridge team was only monitoring AIS targets on its radars and could not detect the change in Vessel A’s heading and speed. This change was discovered at a very late stage, resulting in the collision of the two bulk carriers in the East-bound water route of the traffic separation scheme (TSS) off Batu Berhanti, in Singapore Strait. Vessel A sustained damages to her bow. Vessel B, sustained major damages, the one to the port side forward ballast tanks both above and below the waterline, to the port side hull and deck fittings from cargo hold no. 1 to just forward of the accommodation. Both vessels were able to proceed to an anchorage, off Singapore where the respective damages were assessed.
Actions to be taken in case of a ship collision
When a ship collision occurs, in order to ensure vessel and personnel’s safety, the following major concern categories should be checked:
- Vessel’s ability to maintain stability, movement and navigation
- The functionality of major machinery systems and equipment
- Crew, cargo and environment safety
- Notification of all related stakeholders
SQE Marine has prepared a checklist aiming to provide the necessary steps required, in case of vessel’s collision.
