The Wheelhouse / Image Credit: UK MAIB Report 25/2015
The UK MAIB has issued investigation report on the grounding of Lysblink Seaways near Kilchoan, West Scotland which reveal that this very serious marine casualty occurred when the the OOW lost situational awareness as a result of being under the influence of alcohol.
The Incident
At 0232 (UTC1 +1) on 18 February 2015, while on passage from Belfast to Skogn, Norway the general cargo vessel Lysblink Seaways ran aground at full speed, near Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan peninsula, West Scotland (Figure 1). The vessel remained aground for almost 2 days and, due to adverse weather conditions, was pounded heavily onto the rocky foreshore.
This caused material damage to its hull and breaching of the double bottom, including some fuel tanks, resulting in 25 tonnes of marine gas oil entering the water. After its salvage Lysblink Seaways was towed to dry dock where it was surveyed, declared a constructive total loss and scrapped.
Analysis
The vessel grounded when the OOW lost situational awareness due to his consumption of alcohol. While the chief officer’s performance can largely be accounted for by his alcohol consumption, the investigation also uncovered poor navigational practices and that defences/control measures for the OOW becoming incapacitated were being ignored. Many of these, had they been in place, could have prevented the accident.
Alcohol
The chief officer had consumed a very large amount of alcohol before going on watch. However, the investigation found that the owner’s zero alcohol policy on board was often flouted by crew members. The inventory of the vessel’s bonded store records that it was regularly replenished with spirits, wine and beer, and evidence of significant alcohol consumption by the crew should have alerted the owner to the likelihood that its alcohol policy was not being observed.
Safety culture
To be effective, a SMS must be continually reviewed to ensure that shipboard operations are conducted safely and efficiently. The SMS should be driven by a commitment from managers to provide a safe working environment and supported by crews who ensure the vessel is operated in a safe and professional manner. In this case, the abuse of alcohol was a symptom of systemic non-compliance with the SMS on Lysblink Seaways, which had gone unchallenged despite regular audits. The owners required a zero alcohol policy on board their vessels yet they did not question the frequent replenishment of the bonded store. The poor standard of passage planning; non-use of lookouts, BNWAS, night orders or emergency checklists; and the delay in contacting the coastal state following the grounding all demonstrate that the SMS was not being complied with. Furthermore, some of these deficiencies should have been detected by audit.
Conclusions
- The vessel grounded when the OOW lost situational awareness as a result of being under the influence of alcohol.
- The effective administration of the owner’s zero alcohol policy might have prevented the development of a culture in which the chief officer considered it acceptable to consume alcohol before his watch.
- Had a lookout been on the bridge, he would have been well placed to prevent the accident by alerting the master to the chief officer’s condition and that navigational waypoints had been missed.
- Had the BNWAS been switched on it is probable that the OOW would have realised at an earlier stage that a navigation waypoint had been missed.
- Had the passage plan been appropriately entered into the ECS, the available safety features would have been available and the alarms could have alerted the OOW to potential dangers at an early stage.
- Had an appropriate and detailed passage plan been prepared and implemented in a professional and precautionary manner, it is unlikely that the voyage would have ended with the vessel hard aground.
- In this case, the abuse of alcohol was a symptom of systemic non-compliance with the SMS on Lysblink Seaways, which had gone unchallenged despite regular audits.
- Shortcomings, identified in an earlier MAIB report, regarding the Lys Line safety culture were still prevalent on Lysblink Seaways, despite a change of ownership
Please click below to read the report
Source: UK MAIB
