Experience Feedback
As the pilot was climbing the pilot ladder, the side ropes suddenly parted from near the main deck, causing the ladder and pilot to fall from the height of five metres into the sea. Fortunately, the pilot was uninjured and managed to remain afloat with the aid of his personal flotation device (life vest). He was able to swim away from the ship, which was making five knots through the water, and was quickly recovered by the pilot boat. Once onboard the pilot boat, instructions were given to the ship to rig another pilot ladder. The pilot re-boarded the ship and completed the berthing operation.
An investigation by the local port state control officer (PSCO) found no certification or evidence of periodic inspection and maintenance of the ship’s pilot ladders. Repetitive rigging of the ladder at the same location and height had created a permanent weak spot on the ropes where the failure occurred. The crew was negligent in not visually inspecting the ladder before rigging and also failed to throw the mandatory lifebuoy (life ring) with line and light after the pilot had fallen in the sea.
It is very important that such glaring omissions in ship operation and crew training (in this case, poor maintenance of pilot ladder and crew’s incorrect response to a man overboard emergency) are detected by ship’s command, managers, auditors, surveyors and inspectors and corrective actions are effectively implemented.
Source: Mars/Nautical Institute
