Video: Japanese Coastal Cargo Ship Runs Aground

Images from the TV news show the vessel hard aground (TBS News/YouTube)

PUBLISHED JUN 7, 2023 12:27 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

[Brief] Japanese media is broadcasting images of a small coastal cargo vessel that went aground overnight on June 7. There are no reports of injuries while attempts are underway to refloat the vessel.

The news report said the cargo ship named Taisei Maru No.21, a 31-year-old vessel, was sailing in Japan’s Inner Sea east of the city of Hiroshima in a position near Kasaoka. It became stranded at approximately 1:00 a.m. local time with no reports of bad weather impacting the operations. The vessel had been sailing between Takasago City near Kobe in the eastern portion of the sea to Kure City near Hiroshima. The vessel is reported to be 249 feet long and 1,400 dwt.

 

 

The video shows the vessel mostly out of the water struck on the rocks of a small peninsular. Reports are saying there was no pollution or signs of hull damage. Five crewmembers were aboard and reported to be uninjured.

A tugboat was sent to assist and was planning to attempt to refloat the vessel at high tide.

NTSB: Cell Phone and Distracted Officers Caused Bulker-OSV Collision

Bulker Bunun Queen collided with the OSV Thunder with both vessels on auto pilot and the officers distracted (NTSB)

PUBLISHED JUN 6, 2023 6:59 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The use of a personal cell phone by an officer on watch is being cited by the National Transportation Safety Board as the probable cause of a vessel collision that resulted in $12.3 million in damages and endangered the lives of 38 crewmembers aboard a bulk carrier and offshore supply vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. In a report released today, the safety board faults both vessels for not maintaining a proper lookout while traveling in a busy sea lane and not using the navigation resources available to help safeguard their operations.

“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,” the NTSB writes in its report. They further highlight that both vessels only had a single person on the bridge leading up to the collision further faulting the master of the OSV for not following his company’s watchkeeping policies.

The collision occurred on July 23, 2022, approximately 66 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The weather was not an issue with the report saying there was good visibility, daylight, and fair-weather conditions. They further note that each vessel’s automatic radar and plotting aid displays and AIS receivers were able to detect the vessels but that no alarms were set and with the officers on the bridge performing personal non-navigational tasks they were not checking the displays.

 

OSV received a significant penetration causing flooding and nearly $12 million in damages (USCG)

 

The Bunun Queen, a 590-foot, 37,300 dwt bulk carrier operated by Widom Marine International, departed Houston mid-day on July 22. The vessel was traveling in ballast bound for New Orleans. Before the accident, the vessel was on autopilot with a speed of 14.8 knots. There were 20 crew members aboard.

The second vessel was the Thunder, a 252-foot offshore supply vessel operated by Jackson Offshore Operations. The OSV had departed an offshore oil platform approximately 130 miles south of the port and was returning with a crew of 18 as well as cargo equipment and parts on its main deck. It was also on autopilot traveling at 10 knots before the accident.

The NTSB report reconstructs the actions before the accident reporting that the master was on the bridge of the OSV. He had sent the second mate and a mate-in-training to perform other tasks saying he would take the watch. While on the bulker, the second officer was on the bridge but the vessel’s AB had also left the bridge leaving the second officer without a dedicated lookout.

The master of the OSV later admitted to the NTSB that he had made a personal call using his cell phone, which he said lasted about one minute. Then he began using dictation to send personal text messages. At the same time, the second officer on the bridge of the bulker had begun printing updates for electronic navigation charts and digital publications. Later replaying the recording from each vessel’s VDR, the NTSB reports hearing “a machine” on the bridge of the bulker and the sounds of a “commercial (advertisement)” on the recording from the OSV.

The second mate aboard the OSV and an AB both saw the bulker approaching and sought to alert the master, who responded by disengaging autopilot, increasing the throttles, and turning to port “to minimize damage to the vessel.” Records show the bulker was still on autopilot. 

 

Damage to the bulbous bow of the Bunun Queen (USCG)

 

The bulbous bow of the Bunun Queen struck the port side of the Thunder. The port side propulsion room of the OSV was penetrated and started to flood. The Thunder began to list to port and trim by the stern. The vessel lost propulsion but the chief engineer was able to maintain the electrical generators to power the ship. Eleven of the 18 crew were evacuated to another vessel in the area and the Thunder was towed to Port Fourchon.

The report concludes the penetration above and below the waterline of the Thunder caused its port propulsion room, port cargo tank, and port ballast tank to flood with repair costs of $11.6 million. The Bunun Queen suffered $680,000 in damages, including multiple dents and a crack in its bulbous bow, and a hull fracture in its shell plating.  

The NTSB again cautions on the use of personal electronic devices saying they are distracting and companies should have policies against their use.  Further, it is important for personnel to follow established protocols regarding cell phone use and watch policies.

Irish Coast Guard Airlifts Crew from Grounded Trawler

Irish Coast Guard airlifted the crew of a grounded fishing boat to safety (Castletownbere Coast Guard photos)

PUBLISHED JUN 4, 2023 7:58 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The Irish Coast Guard responded to a grounded fishing trawler on the west coast on Friday airlifting nine crewmembers to safety. The Coast Guard reports it was a challenging situation but that everyone was safe and the vessel was eventually pulled from the rocks.

A Coast Guard helicopter was first on the scene on Friday afternoon, June 2, finding the French-registered fishing vessel hard aground on the rocks near Dursey Island at the end of the Beara Peninsula.  By the time they arrived, the crew of the vessel was all on deck in lifejackets. The helicopter was joined by an RNLI lifeboat from Castletownbere and the RCC Valentia from the Coast Guard.

The RNLI reports that they observed the 105-foot long vessel “listing and rocking back and forth,” raising concern for the safety of the crew. The weather conditions however were overall favorable with light winds and a moderate swell.

Because of the angle of the deck and the rocking motion the helicopter crew decided to begin airlifting the crew off the trawler. They later said the concern was that the vessel would roll over further. Nine non-essential crewmembers were taken aboard and transferred to shore.

 

Fishing boat being towed to port after being pulled away from the rocks (Castletownbere Coast Guard)

 

The vessel, a 35-year-old steel-hulled ship named Grand Saint Bernard had departed the port of Castletownbere, on the west coast of Ireland. The vessel, which is homeported at Bayonne in southwest France, had offloaded its catch in Ireland and refueled before heading back out toward the fishing grounds. Coast Guard officials were concerned over a potential diesel leak because the ship was reported to have full tanks.

The master of the Grand Saint Bernard, along with the engineer and a mate, chose to remain aboard the vessel. With the help of the lifeboat and three tugboats that had come to its assistance, they were able to refloat the vessel approximately three hours later at high tide. The trawler was pulled away from the rocks. While they reported no leaks or significant hull damage, the lifeboat said the trawler lost steering approximately 100 meters from shore. 

The trawler was towed into the port of Castletownbere. It will be dry-docked for further inspection.