CHIRP Maritime draws lessons from a report of unsafe and unacceptable living conditions experienced by a crew during a vessel’s dry-docking period.
The reporter told CHIRP that during a recent dry dock, the entire crew was required to remain onboard while the vessel underwent significant repairs. Open fuel tanks were situated in crew living areas, and essential services such as air conditioning, water, and sewage were intermittently shut down for prolonged periods. Galley refrigerators were switched off, necessitating chefs to store food in domestic fridges on the aft deck.
Hazardous work, including antifouling, painting, and grinding, occurred throughout the vessel, while smoke detectors were disconnected to facilitate the removal of ceiling panels, compromising fire safety. Despite these issues, no action was taken by management, prompting the crew to report the situation to CHIRP.
CHIRP comment
CHIRP emphasises that crew living conditions were found inadequate during essential service repairs. According to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), management must provide suitable alternative accommodation, whether commercial or private, and health, safety, and environmental (HSE) regulations take precedence during dry-docking periods regardless of vessel size or purpose.
Moreover, the master has a duty of care toward the crew, always ensuring their well-being. During dry dock, the vessel encountered hazardous operations that management should have addressed promptly. The owner’s and manager’s lack of response to crew concerns highlights a poor safety culture within the company.
It’s important to emphasise that standards must be strictly applied whether the vessel is MLC-compliant or a private yacht.
If a proper assessment of the work during the dry dock had been planned, the planned work could have been carefully managed. Management must ensure an experienced team of officers is brought in to manage the dry dock.
Lessons Learned
- Culture – Management does not show a duty of care to the crew by not providing appropriate accommodation during a phase of the drydock when living conditions become unacceptable.
- Situational awareness – Management has not examined the dry-dock operation in its entirety. It has either failed to recognise or ignored that the crew will face unacceptable living conditions as work progresses on the vessel.
- Capability – The management has not supported their crew, and they appear to lack the knowledge and experience to recognise the work requirements during the dry dock.
- Communications – Management has not conveyed their expectations regarding the living arrangements during the dry docking period.
