BBC MARMARA

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Report in grounding reveals a catalogue of safety failures

A catalogue of safety failures has been revealed by a probe into the grounding of the 'BBC Marmara' on July 25, 2021, off Eilean Troday, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found. The report blamed a combination of the removal of bridge safeguards, alcohol abuse and a lax management culture on the ship. MAIB found the vessel diverged from the planned track when the second officer fell asleep. He had been drinking before and after going to the bridge. The safeguards to prevent an accident — a lookout, the Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System (BNWAS) and coastguard interventions — had been removed. Abuse of alcohol was tolerated by senior officers and events leading up to the grounding were indicative of a lack of responsibility at every level of management onboard. The vessel traffic management (VTM) operator at Stornoway became distracted by another task because they had not received training nor had sufficient processes to manage the risk of distraction, the report also found. During the voyage, an able seaman (AB) learned of the death of a family member and invited colleagues including the Ukrainian second officer back to his cabin for an informal wake. From about 8.30 p.m., they drank beer and Jägermeister. At 11.30 p.m., the 2nd officer left to take over the watch. After midnight, the two other drinkers brought three more cans of beer to the bridge, given to them by the master. Following a lively conversation, the drinking of the beer, and some joking around between the three crew members, the officer talked a cadet through the process of making a VHF radio call. Conversation then continued between the three crew members, while music was played. By 1 a.m. the officer was alone. The ship overshot a course alteration an hour later. The Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) alarm sounded 15 times until a course change was made. At 02.48 a.m., loud snoring could be heard on the voyage data recorder. At 03.30 a.m., the ECDIS look-ahead alarm sounded and two minutes later the ship was aground. The second officer is a 37-year-old man who had worked for Briese since 2014. It was his first contract on board the 'BBC Marmara', having joined two months before the accident. He was dealing with personal stress due to marital and financial issues. It is unknown how much alcohol he had drunk before going to the bridge, but even before drinking the beer given to him on the bridge, he would likely have been significantly influenced by the effects of the alcohol he consumed during the three hours in the AB’s cabin. The Briese Schiffahrts GmbH has been recommended to determine and implement crewing resources needed to avoid a conflict between safe navigation and operational tasks such as maintenance. A lookout should be on the bridge during hours of darkness and in restricted visibility. The owner and manager has since taken action to improve the effectiveness of its safety management system, especially in relation to the consumption of alcohol and use of lookouts and watch alarms.

Ship to be assessed for damage

The 'BBC Marmara' remained moored off Sandwick two days after its grounding on Eilean Trodday, off Skye, on July 25 at 3.45 a.m. in dense fog. The bow had suffered some damage causing the ship to take on water which was removed with the bilge pumps The vessel had departed Foynes in the afternoon of July 23 and was heading to Scrabster near Wick and grounded while navigating through a channel between Eilean Fladda Chuain and Eilean Trodday. The Portree lifeboat had been launched to the scene to assist and carried out a thorough inspection of the ship for damage. Then the decision was taken to divert to Lewis, where the ship anchored outside Arnish lighthouse. Divers were to check the underwater structure to ascertain the extent of damage. Report with photos: http://www.hebrides-news.com/grounded-ship-assessed-for-damage-25721.html