A response boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay displays the 1,095-foot Evergreen containership Ever Forward, after it turned grounded within the Chesapeake Bay. [U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves]
A licensed state pilot’s use of a cellphone whereas in path and management of the Evergreen Marine Corporation containership Ever Forward will get appreciable consideration within the U.S. Coast Guard’s report on its investigation into the March 13, 2022, grounding of the 1,095 toes lengthy and 12,118 TEU vessel in Chesapeake Bay.
According to the the report, “Ever Forward departed Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Md., en path to Norfolk, Va., with a licensed Maryland State Pilot, hereinafter known as ‘Pilot 1,’ in path and management of the vessel. The vessel’s departure was barely delayed resulting from a line dealing with situation on the facility.
“Pilot 1 was on the bridge with the Master and the bridge workforce till roughly 1930, when the Master departed the bridge to get dinner. At roughly 1950, the bridge workforce accomplished a scheduled watch aid, and a brand new Third Officer and Deck Cadet reported to the bridge. At this time, the bridge workforce was comprised of Pilot 1, the Third Officer, Deck Cadet, and an Able Bodied Seaman who was on the helm. At roughly 2017, the vessel handed its charted waypoint, marking a flip to roughly 180 levels True that wanted to be executed in accordance with the voyage plan. No order was given to show the vessel and the helmsman maintained the beforehand ordered course of 161 levels True. At 2018, Pilot 1 acknowledged the vessel was previous its flip and ordered 15 levels rudder to starboard. The vessel grounded outdoors the Craighill Channel, east of Lighted Buoy 16.
“Pilot 1 instantly tried to make use of astern propulsion to free the vessel. Soon after, the Master returned to the bridge and carried out a collection of security checks in accordance with the vessel’s Safety Management System (SMS), previous to persevering with efforts to free the vessel. After all security checks had been accomplished, the Ever Forward bridge workforce and Pilot 1 continued to try to free the vessel utilizing astern propulsion and bow thrusters. At roughly 2031, the Master notified the vessel’s shoreside consultant that the Ever Forward required help. At roughly 2101, Pilot 1 notified U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region of the grounding. At roughly 2250 and after being relieved by one other licensed Maryland State Pilot, Pilot 1 departed the grounded vessel.
“During the outbound transit, Pilot 1 was solely counting on his Portable Pilot Unit (PPU) to navigate the Ever Forward.
“Just previous to the grounding, Pilot 1 exited the energetic navigation of his PPU to view a earlier transit. Pilot 1 additionally made a collection of 5 telephone calls amounting to over 60 minutes of time through the course of his outbound transit. He additionally despatched two textual content messages and started drafting an e mail instantly earlier than the grounding occurred relating to points he skilled with facility line handlers.
“As a result of its investigation, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that the initiating event for this casualty was the grounding. No mechanical issues or equipment failures contributed to this marine casualty. The causal factors that contributed to this casualty include: (1) failure to maintain situational awareness and attention while navigating, and (2) inadequate bridge resource management.”
FINDINGS OF CONCERN
As ever, you need to learn the entire report back to get a full image of what the investigation uncovered, however the Coast Guard has issued two findings of concern in relation to the incident. (By the way in which, when you assume the use by the Coast Guard use of the gender impartial time period “their” in these findings implies that the pilot was a girl, according to local media reports he wasn’t and has been identified by the State of Maryland.)
DISTRACTED OPERATIONS
“For approximately half of the two-hour transit,” says one of the findings, “the Pilot on board the container ship placed and received numerous calls, texted messages, and draft emails on their personal cell phone right up until the incident. Additionally, the Pilot admittedly relied solely on their Portable Pilot Unit (PPU) for navigation and was watching playback of a previous transit at the time of the incident. The Pilot was drafting an email on their personal cell phone in the minutes leading up to the planned turn south, when the vessel sailed through its waypoint and grounded. The vessel’s bridge team attempted to cue the pilot by repeating the heading. However, by the time the bridge team became more assertive about the ship’s heading, it was too late to prevent the vessel from grounding.”
“Findings of Concern. Coast Guard investigators recognized the next prudent measures to be applied on vessels in comparable service to mitigate the dangers related to the above recognized contributing components:
“Develop and implement efficient operational insurance policies outlining when using mobile telephones and different units is acceptable or prohibited.
“Ensure PPU users receive comprehensive training on devices and software functionality.”
The primary report notes that “following the incident, the Association of Maryland Pilots placed Pilot 1 on administrative leave” and on October 21, 2022, the Maryland Board of Pilots suspended Pilot 1’s license as a result of they ‘found that the public health, safety, and welfare imperatively required this emergency action.’ Pilot 1 is prohibited from offering, trying to offer, or providing to offer pilotage within the State of Maryland. Pilot 1 can be prohibited from representing to the general public, by use of a title, together with ‘pilot,’ ‘bay pilot,’ ‘licensed pilot, ‘State licensed pilot’ or ‘Maryland pilot,’ by description of companies, strategies or procedures, or in any other case. Pilot 1 has requested the chance for a listening to on this matter.”
BRIDGE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
The different discovering of concern pertains to bridge useful resource administration. It notes that roughly half-hour earlier than the grounding, the bridge workforce had accomplished a scheduled watch aid and was comprised of the Pilot, the Third Officer, a Deck Cadet, and an Able Bodied Seaman. The Master was beneath decks for the night meal on the time of the casualty.
“As the crew’s officer on the navigation bridge on the time of the casualty, the Third Officer noticed that the pilot was on their cellphone for roughly half of the two-hour transit. During the outbound transit, the Third Officer was conscious {that a} flip wanted to be made so as keep throughout the channel. However, somewhat than straight telling the pilot, the Third Officer repeated the ship’s heading a number of occasions in an try and cue the pilot that the flip wanted to be made.
“The Third Officer accurately understood the Pilot to be in path and management of the vessel, and he felt hesitant to talk up as the aim of the pilot is essentially to behave because the native geographic and navigational skilled on board the vessel. The Third Officer and two different members of the bridge workforce didn’t straight alert the pilot to the harmful scenario or summon the Master, till after the vessel had grounded.
“In this case, the ship’s Safety Management System (SMS) dictated that if the vessel experiences problem sustaining course or any doubts come up in regard to the vessel’s scenario, the officer on watch shall name the Master. All officers had been required to overview and signal that they understood this instruction.
“Coast Guard investigators recognized the next prudent measures to be applied on vessels in comparable service to mitigate the dangers related to the above recognized contributing components:
• Ensure and promote crew consciousness of insurance policies relating to the duties and obligations of officers on look ahead to the protection of the ship, even when a pilot is embarked.
• Promote a security tradition that when a pilot is embarked, the bridge workforce helps and is an integral a part of the method of continuous communications with the pilot at some point of the transit.”
