JULIETTA D

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Investigation report into accident published

Transport Malta’s Marine Safety Investigation Unit has issued an investigation report into the loss of control of the 'Julietta D'Ä on the morning of Jan 31, 2022. The ship was holding its anchorage position in Ijmuiden Anchorage Area no. 7, using the port anchor and the main engine. At one point, the 'Julietta D'’s heading altered substantially, and the vessel started falling South, onto the nearby anchored 'Pechora Star'. Within a few minutes, the 'Julietta D'’s port hull made contact with the bow of Pechora Star and continued making contact with the 'Pechora Star'’s port side until both vessels were eventually clear of each other. The 'Julietta D' suffered two breaches in way of its engine-room and water ingress. She continued drifting in a southerly direction into a windfarm area, still under construction. Shortly after making contact with the windfarm’s transition section, the crew of the 'Julietta D' was airlifted from the vessel, following which, preparations for a salvage operation ensued. Unmanned and not under command, the vessel made contact with another platform within the same windfarm area. Eventually, the tug 'Sovereign' was assigned to salvage Julietta D, reaching its position at 3.50 p.m. LT. After securing the towing line, and while the crew members were on their way to the bridge, a wave washed over the main deck, inflicting serious injuries to two crew members. The 'Julietta D' was towed towards the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and arrived within port limits onFeb 1 at 2 p.m. The port anchor, along with 10 shackles of chain, was found lying on the seabed, in the vicinity of the 'Julietta D'’s re-located anchorage position. This suggested that rather than dragging her anchor towards the 'Pechora Star', the 'Julietta D' had in fact lost her port anchor and drifted towards the 'Pechora Star'. The 'Julietta D'’s port anchor cable broke, causing the vessel to fall away from the wind and drift in asoutherly direction. The ship’s light ballast condition contributed to a larger windage area and for her propeller to be only partially immersed. This reduced her manoeuvrability capabilities, and which contributed to the vessel being overwhelmed by the prevailing weather conditions. The master of the 'Julietta D' was under the impression that the vessel was dragging its anchor rather than drifting, dedicating time to try and make sense of the incomplete contextual information. There was not enough time for the 'Pechora Star' to weigh her anchor and move clear from the 'Julietta D'. Data indicated that the 'Julietta D'’s main engine was operating seamlessly on the day of the occurrence, thus it was not considered to have contributed to the occurrence. It was considered likely that the 'Julietta D'’s main engine stopped upon allision with the 'Pechora Star' as her propeller struck the latter vessel’s anchor cable. The crew of the 'Julietta D' was unable to repair the damages to the vessel’s hull in way of the engine-room. Consequently, the master was informed the water flowing into the engine-room would most likely cause electrical damage and hence, he took the decision to stop the main engine to prevent any further damages. The master’s decision to abandon the 'Julietta D' was influenced by the time required for a tug to reach the vessel’s position, and his concerns on the hazards posed by the windfarm and rigs, which lay in the direction of the 'Julietta D'’s drift. The 'Sovereign' took almost five hours to reach Julietta D’s location. She was about 25 nautical miles away and its crew members were engaged in maintenance work on the tug’s crane when it was appointed, and the inclement weather in the area, which would have reduced the tug’s speed. The intraship communication on board the 'Sovereign' was not effective once the tug was in the open sea in inclement weather conditions. This contributed to both the chief officer and second officer being unaware of a rolling wave on deck, which slammed them against a portable ladder leading to their injuries. As the 'Julietta D' had sufficient reserve buoyancy and the salvors were able to take control of the vessel and secure the vessel in a safe port.

Sold in package deal

Woodstreet have sold their Handysize sister vessels “Seas 5” 37/2012 Zhejiang Ouhua, China (DD 04/2020) & “Seas 11” 37/2013 Zhejiang Ouhua, China (DD 10/2020) to Dutch buyers for USD 11 mill each.