Lessons Learned: Pilot and bridge should plan vessel’s maneuver

In the latest Safety Digest, UK MAIB focuses on a large cruise vessel entering a narrow river, which resulted to the cruise ship’s stern hit a yacht moored in the navigable channel; UK MAIB recommends that prior to the vessel’s entrance, the interested parties should have specifically planned how the vessel would maneuver, to avoid any accidents.

The Incident

A 165m cruise ship was entering short way up a narrow river to enable its passengers visit the town. For the entrance of the cruise ship, the harbour authority and the cruise company had planned the port entry and the ship’s anchorage well in advance, taking into account the ship’s draught, length, manoeuvring characteristics and the expected tidal conditions. Due to the fact that the vessel was bigger than 150m, the usual size of vessels often visiting the port, the harbormaster had little experience in dealing with large ships in the river.

The first step was that the vessel entered the river’s estuary. Then, the pilot discussed the entry with the master about the meteorological conditions, and the expected effects of the tidal stream and river current. On the first place, all went as planned and the vessel managed to turn without difficulty. Yet, during the next turn, which was to starboard, the effects of the tidal stream were not as expected, and the ship turned wider than intended. It started to head towards shallows on the river’s south bank.

To fix the situation, the pilot increased the rudder angle which caused the ship’s stern swinging rapidly to port The pilot recommended the bow thruster, and the captain then advised the pilot that the ship had an increased speed for the thruster to be effective. The pilot continued to try to regain control, but the cruise ship’s stern hit a yacht moored in the navigable channel. The pilot used astern power, but this did not prevent the cruise ship’s stern from hitting a further two moored yachts.

The captain understood that the pilot was in difficulty and couldn’t handle the situation and decided to take the con. He then slowed the ship and used the bow thruster to manoeuvre clear of the moorings before continuing to the intended anchorage.

Because of the maneuver, the cruise ship crucially damaged the yachts. The position of the yacht’s moorings, which reduced the width of the navigable channel by 30%, had not been shared with the cruise ship’s manager during the initial planning of the visit, or with the master during the master/ pilot exchange.

Lessons Learned

1. A port entry, especially one involving a large ship, is a complex operation that requires detailed planning and communication. Time spent planning is never wasted, as the old saying goes “fail to plan, plan to fail”!
2. Achieving a ‘shared mental model’ between a pilot and a ship’s bridge team helps to ensure that all those involved in a ship’s entry or departure are aware of the intended plan. Therefore, unintended and/or unavoidable deviations from the plan can be quickly detected, and timely interventions and challenges made where appropriate.
3. Pilots are usually experienced seafarers used to handling ships of all shapes and sizes. However, there are always moments when a pilot can on a ship with unfamiliar manoeuvring and handling characteristics. As many pilots are strangers, politely enquiring about their experience would seem a logical precaution to take, particularly when entering unfamiliar, confined and potentially congested waters.