The UK MAIB has issued a report on the investigation of the collision between the container ship Ever Smart and the oil tanker Alexandra 1 on February 11,2015 near the entrance to the buoyed approach channel in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates.
The container ship was outbound at a speed of 12 knots and had disembarked its pilot. The tanker was inbound and was moving very slowly ahead while waiting for the pilot from the container ship to board. Both vessels suffered major structural damage to their bows but there were no injuries or pollution.
The collision resulted from several factors. In particular, a passing arrangement was not agreed or promulgated and the actions of both masters were based on assumptions. Alexandra 1 was unnecessarily close to the channel entrance and the tanker’s master acted on scanty VHF radio information.
In addition, Ever Smart’s bridge team did not keep a proper lookout or monitor the tanker’s movement. They only realised that Alexandra 1 was close ahead seconds before the collision when alerted by the port control. The accident occurred within Jebel Ali’s port limits. The precautions of pilotage and the port’s vessel traffic service, which would normally co-ordinate and de-conflict the movements of vessels in the port area, were ineffective on this occasion.
Evergreen Marine (UK) Limited, the managers of Ever Smart and Iships Management Private Limited, the managers of Alexandra 1 have taken action to improve the standard of bridge watchkeeping on board their vessels. A recommendation to DP World UAE Region, the operators of Jebel Ali port, is intended to improve the effectiveness of the vessel traffic and pilotage services it provides.
Further details may be found by reading the report
Source: UK MAIB
