UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) draws lessons learned from an incident in which a vessel grounded and subsequently sank, after the lone watchkeeper left the wheelhouse unattended.
On 24 October 2022, during the early morning and in poor visibility, the stern trawler Ocean Maid grounded on Cairnbulg Point near the port of Fraserburgh, Scotland. The vessel later broke up and sank. Ocean Maid was on passage from Eyemouth to Fraserburgh for pre-arranged maintenance and was being navigated by a lone watchkeeper. The navigation equipment in the wheelhouse included three chart plotter displays, one of which the watchkeeper used to navigate by following the past tracks displayed on it and cross-checking these with external visual indicators to judge the vessel’s position.
In the final few minutes before the grounding, the watchkeeper left the wheelhouse at least twice to make tea for the crew, which was a normal task on the vessel’s approach into port. Between these visits to the galley, the watchkeeper made several course adjustments that gradually moved Ocean Maid towards Cairnbulg Point. The watchkeeper was absent from the wheelhouse at the time of grounding.
The skipper contacted the coastguard immediately after the vessel ran aground, and the crew launched and inflated a liferaft. Ocean Maid rolled violently from side to side and was forced further onto the shoal by the swell, so the crew abandoned into the liferaft and pushed it away from the stricken vessel. They were rescued shortly afterward by an all-weather lifeboat crew and were treated for minor injuries.
Lessons learned
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The hazard of leaving the wheelhouse unattended was recognized as a risk in Ocean Maid‘s onboard risk assessment, but this did not prevent it from happening. A watchkeeper’s presence in the wheelhouse during passages is essential to maintain vessel safety, particularly in coastal waters.
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Ocean Maid’s watchkeeper had been trained to follow past tracks displayed on a chart plotter, resulting in a reactive and unplanned approach to navigating coastal waters in poor visibility. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) requires fishing vessels to follow the guidance in Maritime Guidance Note 313 (F), which emphasizes the importance of a plotted passage plan on appropriate scaled charts, highlighting areas of danger.
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The watchkeeper’s ability to judge external visual indicators was compromised by poor visibility, and their night vision was impaired by frequent visits to the illuminated galley and the presence of a television in the wheelhouse. Owners and watchkeepers should ensure that the wheelhouse is attended, and domestic media equipment should be removed from it.
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Lack of sleep in the 2 days before the accident, compounded by the watchkeeper not taking rest opportunities and the early morning low attentiveness danger period, likely affected the watchkeeper’s performance.
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The crew’s survivability was enhanced by the early transmission of a distress call, the prompt decision to abandon Ocean Maid, and the skipper and co-owner’s focus on emergency preparedness.
