The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched its report into the January 2015 sinking of the MV Cemfjord, discovering that the incident was the results of poor passage planning because the vessel sailed into terribly violent sea circumstances that have been fully predictable. 

The totally laden Cyprus-registered cement service Cemfjord capsized January 2, 2015 in extraordinarily violent sea circumstances within the Pentland Firth, Scotland with the lack of all 8 crew. No misery message was ever transmitted by the vessel, and its upturned hull was noticed some 25 hours later by a passing ferry.  

The report mentioned that it was the grasp’s determination to press forward with the voyage, somewhat than search shelter, regardless of the predictable and terribly violent sea circumstances that led to the sinking.

“The MAIB investigation found that Cemfjord capsized in extraordinarily violent sea conditions; a fatal hazard that was predictable and could have been avoided,” mentioned Steve Clinch, The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, in an announcement to the media. “The decision to enter the Pentland Firth, rather than seek shelter, was almost certainly a result of poor passage planning, an underestimation of the severity of the conditions and perceived or actual commercial pressure to press ahead with the voyage. Critically, this decision will also have been underpinned by an unwillingness to alter course across the heavy seas after the experience of a cement cargo shift in similar circumstances about 3 months before the accident. The appalling conditions and rapid nature of the capsize denied the crew an opportunity to issue a distress message or to escape from their ship. Although not a causal factor of the accident, it was also established that Cemfjord was only at sea because of Flag State approved exemptions from safety regulations. This tragic accident is a stark reminder of the hazards faced by mariners at sea and the factors that can influence decision making in such treacherous circumstances.”

Safety points recognized in report embrace:

• Passage planning requires that every one hazards are taken under consideration and averted; the terribly violent and deadly sea circumstances encountered within the Pentland Firth have been predictable and will have been averted
• As nicely as inadequate passage planning, the grasp’s determination to press forward with the voyage, somewhat than search shelter, was nearly definitely influenced by an underestimation of the severity of the circumstances, his private willpower to succeed and an unwillingness to show the vessel throughout the heavy sea
• It is probably going that Cemfjord’s stability situation didn’t meet the required standards making the vessel extra weak to capsize. An correct stability evaluation is significant for each passage
• Cemfjord was at sea with vital security shortcomings; there isn’t a proof that any consideration was given to delaying departure till these issues have been mounted; as an alternative, Flag State exemptions from security laws have been accredited to permit the ship to proceed to sea

The full report might be discovered on the MAIB website.