Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) released an investigation report on the allision of the RoRo ferry ‘Seaspan Swift’ with the No. 2 berth at Tilbury Island, Delta, British Columbia, on 15 November 2017. The report revealed that as the vessel approached the terminal, the relief master and chief officer started the pre-arrival checklist but stopped at the step requiring the pods to be on independent propulsion.
The incident
On 15 November 2017, at 1534 Pacific Standard Time, the roll-on/roll-off ferry Seaspan Swift struck the No. 2 berth at the Seaspan Ferries terminal on Tilbury Island, Delta, British Columbia. There were 10 crew members onboard at the time of the occurrence; two of them sustained minor injuries. The vessel’s bow and the ramp at the No. 2 berth were damaged. There was no pollution reported.
Probable causes
- As the Seaspan Swift approached the terminal, the relief master and chief officer started the pre-arrival checklist but stopped at the step requiring the pods to be on independent propulsion. They did not resume the checklist, leading to a missed opportunity to remind the relief master to switch over the steering controls.
- Because the steering control was still set to the wheel when the master turned the pod handle, the pod did not respond and remained thrusting in the ahead position.
- The relief master increased the speed control lever to apply reverse thrust, but this caused the vessel to speed up. Attributing this response to the wind and tide conditions, the relief master applied additional thrust, which caused the vessel to speed up unexpectedly towards the dock.
- Once the relief master realized that the steering control was not switched over to the pod handles, there was insufficient time for him to perform a crash stop given the vessel’s proximity to the berth, and the vessel struck the berth at a speed of 4.1 knots.
Findings
- If bridge switches are not designed optimally, there is a risk of accidental activation, which could contribute to an accident.
- If not all bridge team members are required to take bridge resource management training or bridge team members do not follow key principles of bridge resource management, they may not communicate and work effectively as a team, increasing the risk of accidents.
- If voyage data recorder data are not available to an investigation, the identification and communication of safety deficiencies to advance transportation safety may be precluded.
Actions taken
Following the occurrence,the owner took the following actions:
- The loose connection in the 120V switch that triggered the momentary power interruption to the radar displays was repaired, and a protective arrangement was installed over the switch. The company also posted a list of equipment connected to this switch.
- Pre-arrival checklists that are specific to each terminal (Tilbury, Swartz Bay, and Duke Point) were created, and the steps were revised to include specific details about when the steering control should be set to the wheel and when it should be set to the pod handles (Appendix D).
- Input to the pre-arrival checklist was requested from company employees on significant changes that affect the fleet operations.
- On both the Seaspan Swift and the Seaspan Reliant, the style of thrust direction indicator was changed to one with a simplified representation of the thruster that clarifies the thrust direction.
- The steering control system design was modified so that when the steering control is set to the wheel, the pod handles must be set to the ahead position. If the handles are moved off position, an alarm sounds. This design was submitted and approved by the vessel’s classification society and installed by the original equipment manufacturer.
- An investigation was initiated to determine why the vessel’s voyage data recorder had not recorded certain data.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigated this occurrence for the purpose of advancing transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability. Explore more herebelow: