Human error due to lack of situation awareness
The Washington State Department of Transportation has issued an investigation report on Hyak collision which concludes that human error was responsible for the collision happened on September 13, between Washington State Ferries vessel Hyak and a motor yacht.
The MVHyak in Upright Channel, in betweenLopez Island andShaw Island, Image credit: Wikipedia
The incident happened at the confluence of Harney and Upright channels in the San Juan Islands, where the Hyak’s starboard bow collided with the port quarter of the yacht.
According to thereport, investigators determined this incident was avoidable as the Hyak had adequate time, equipment capability and “sea room” to avoid the collision.
Weather, visibility, tides and currents were not factors in this incident. The report states that the root cause of this incident was human error due to lack of situational awareness.
The report provides six recommendations for system-wide improvements that could help prevent similar incidents:
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