Lessons learned: Never assume all is ok

A recent incident reported by CHIRP Maritime highlights the risks associated with improper maintenance and oversight of lifting points on tenders.

The lifting points were slightly deformed, which allowed water to access the bilge. With the bilge pump not working, additional water was added to the tender’s weight. The tender is stowed on the main deck approximately 2.5/3m from the water line.

The RIB is used frequently, and it is recovered from the water with the two crew members inside. Once it reaches the yacht’s main deck, it is pulled alongside the main deck and the two crew members step out of the tender in turn. As the first deckhand got out, one – then all – of the lifting points on the RIB failed and it fell several metres into the sea with the bosun still inside. The bosun suffered a minor back injury and shock.”

Both the securing points and lifting points of a tender must be adequately designed to handle the deadweight and other reasonably foreseeable shock loading that might arise (eg failure of one of the other securing points).

CHIRP could not determine why the previously reported defects had not been addressed by the vessel’s senior officers, but it is good practice for defect-reporting systems to assign responsibility for rectifying a defect to a named officer, who should assess and prioritize resolution, and if necessary, take the equipment out of action until this is done.

Safety is everybody’s responsibility, and CHIRP wonders why crew boarded a tender with known lifting point issues? It is only by sheer good fortune, the bosun was not killed or permanently incapacitated for life.

Finally: we have previously reported on lifting point failures before, so it is encouraging to hear that Flag State inspectors are now checking the SWL of the lifting points during annual inspections.

Lessons learned

Design—The tender’s lifting arrangement was insufficient for its weight. Deformed lifting points allowed water to enter the boat, a clear sign that they were operating at their limits. The defect is serious and must be reported to management and the manufacturers.
Culture— These known faults were reported but not acted on, highlighting a weak safety culture at a management level. Would you refuse to operate the tender if you found a similar situation on your boat? Would you take the boat out of service?
Alerting—Inform the manufacturers of the issues encountered on the tender and seek clarification of the SWL of the lifting points.
Overconfidence– All lifting equipment has a failure point, mainly when operating at its limits. Take early action to prevent severe injury and loss of life. Never assume all is OK!