The bridge watch officers on a bulk service and an offshore provide vessel (OSV) weren’t sustaining a correct lookout earlier than a collision final yr close to Port Fourchon, Louisiana, the National Transportation Safety Board mentioned Tuesday.
The incident occurred on July 23, 2022, at about 1314 native time ,when the majority service Bunun Queen, transiting eastbound within the Gulf of Mexico with 20 crew members on board, and the northbound offshore provide vessel Thunder collided about 66 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
Damage to each vessels was estimated at $12.3
The Thunder, operated by Jackon Offshore Operators, sustained substantial injury to its port aspect, which resulted within the flooding of one among its propulsion rooms and three different areas. Eleven of Thunder’s 18 crew had been evacuated to a Good Samaritan vessel, and the remaining crew stayed with the vessel to manage the flooding whereas it was towed again to port. There had been no accidents, and no air pollution was reported.
The Thunder sustained injury to its port aspect aft consisting of a giant penetration above and under its waterline that brought about flooding within the port aspect propulsion room, the port cargo tank (empty on the time), a void area, and the no. 7 port ballast tank. The value of repairs was about $11,598,078.
The 590-foot-long bulk service Bunun Queen was owned by Unicorn Pescadores, S.A., and operated by Wisdom Marine International, based mostly in Taipei, Taiwan.
Damage to the Bunun Queen’s port bow consisted of indentations and deformation of the shell plating above the waterline at water ballast tank no. 1 port. The vessel’s bulbous bow sustained a number of dents, a crack, and a hull fracture of the shell plating, which brought about water to enter the forepeak tank. The value of repairs was about $680,000.
GOOD VISIBILITY AND FAIR WEATHER
The collision occurred in good visibility, daylight and truthful climate circumstances. Each of the vessel’s automated radar and plotting help shows and automated identification system receivers had been capable of detect the opposite vessel. In the time main as much as the collision, neither of the vessels’ officer on watch maintained a lookout—both by visible scanning or utilizing the obtainable digital programs to stop a collision. Both officers on watch said they had been engaged in non-navigational duties. The grasp on the Thunder was utilizing his cellular phone and the second officer on the Bunun Queen was engaged in different duties.
The NTSB report word that the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) requires “every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate.”
CELL PHONE UE
The NTSB decided the possible reason behind the collision was the Bunun Queen officer’s distraction as a consequence of performing non-navigational duties and the Thunder officer’s distraction as a consequence of cellular phone use, which saved each officers from protecting a correct lookout. Contributing to the casualty was the Thunder’s officer on watch not following his firm’s watchkeeping insurance policies.
“Using cell phones and other personal electronic devices has been demonstrated to be visually, manually, and cognitively distracted,” the report mentioned. “Nonoperational use of cell phones and other wireless electronic devices by on-duty crewmembers in safety-critical positions has been a factor in accidents in all transportation modes. Nonoperational use of cell phones should never interfere with the primary task of a watchstander or a bridge team member to maintain a proper lookout. It is important for personnel to follow established protocols regarding cell phone use.”
- Download Marine Investigation Report 23-09 HERE
