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MAIB report on collision with Achieve published

The MAIB has released its report into the collision of the fishing vessel 'Achieve' with the cargo m/v 'Talis' on Nov 8, 2020, which resulted in the sinking of the 'Achieve'. The agency found that neither vessel had kept an effective watch in fog, and that no one was in the Achieve's wheelhouse at the time of the collision. At 05.30 a.m. the trawler departed North Shields bound for the fishing grounds off Tynemouth. The skipper planned to fish during the day and return to North Shields that afternoon. Conditions were overcast with patches of fog. At 2.30 p.m. the 'Talis' departed Blyth with a cargo of red stone, bound for the Netherlands. With the chief officer on watch, the 'Talis' maintained a steady southeasterly course at eight knots, headed for the waters off Tynemouth. At about the same time, the captain of the 'Achieve' decided to return to port. He got under way and engaged the autopilot, heading southwest at about five knots. After testing out his new radar - installed two days earlier - he left the wheelhouse unattended and went aft to check on his deckhand. At 3.38 p.m. the 'Talis' chief officer detected the 'Achieve' on the radar when the fishing boat was about one nautical mile away on the port bow. He saw no corresponding AIS signal, so he and his AB tried to spot the vessel visually with their binoculars. They did not immediately spot her, but within a few moments, Achieve emerged from the fog. The 'Talis' chief officer sounded one long blast of the whistle and put the rudder hard to starboard; Achieve did not alter course appreciably, and she struck Talis on the port side at about 3.41 p.m. Aboard the 'Achieve', the bilge alarms sounded soon after the collision. The deckhand went below and found several sprung planks around the stem, with water flowing in. He decided not to try to go into the after section of the space to start the engine-powered bilge pump, fearing that he would be trapped by rising water. The 'Achieve's master made a distress call to the Humber Coastguard, which tasked the Tynemouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat (ALB) with responding. The lifeboat was on scene by about 1605, and it rigged up a towline and salvage pump. However, the 'Achieve' continued to settle lower in the water, and her master and deckhand decided to abandon ship onto the all-weather lifeboat. The fishing vessel sank at about 6.10 p.m. in about 60 feet of water. The 'Talis' sustained a minor dent on her port side, with no hull penetrations or flooding. In the minutes after the collision, she offered her assistance to the 'Achieve', but she was released by the UK Coastguard and continued her voyage to the Netherlands. The MAIB concluded that neither vessel was keeping an effective lookout in conditions of restricted visibility. Achieve’s wheelhouse was unmanned at the time of the collision, and the MAIB found that with more attentive watchkeeping aboard the 'Talis', the chief officer could have detected the risk of collision sooner. In addition, the board determined that even after the risk was identified, the 'Talis' chief officer’s action was hesitant and too late to avoid a collision. Report with photo: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/maib-empty-wheelhouse-contributed-to-collision-and-sinking

Fishing vessel sank off Tynemouth

The British 9,9-meter fishing boat 'Achieve' from North Shields collided with the 'Talis' about one mile off the Tyne Piers, Tynemouth, on Nov 8, 2020, at 3.40 p.m. The 'Talis' had left Blyth port, north of Tyne at 2.50 p.m., bound to Terneuzen with an ETA as of Nov 9. The fishing vessel's engine room flooded after it started taking on water. The Coastguard's Humber Operations Centre called the Tynemouth RNLI, and it's all-weather lifeboat went to the aid of the fishing boat. A number of other nearby vessels also responded to the distress call, notably the offshore support vessel 'Ocean Marlin' which launched a boat in case the fishermen needed immediate evacuation. The RNLI lifeboat with six volunteer crew members arrived on scene just five minutes after launching. The crew quickly assessed the situation and in an attempt to save the vessel they put a salvage pump on board and started pumping water out. As the water levels inside the boat dropped, the decision was made by the lifeboat coxswain to tow her back to Royal Quays marina, North Shields, where she could be quickly lifted out of the water. The lifeboat's tow rope was attached to the fishing boat and the tow started. Unfortunately, once under way at a very slow speed, it became apparent that the boat was so badly damaged the movement increased the ingress of water and the tow was stopped. In a final attempt to save the boat, Tynemouth RNLI's inshore lifeboat was launched to take an extra salvage pump out to the stricken vessel to see if that would control the water. But as that was making its way to the scene, the boat started to lose stability and with the risk of it capsizing, the all weather lifeboat quickly evacuated the fishermen and the lifeboat crew that had gone on board. The lifeboat took the fishermen back to safety at North Shields while the crew of the inshore lifeboat monitored the situation, but the fishing vessel sank soon after. Report with photo: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-54870204

Allision off Hoek van Holland

The container m/v "Hercules J.", en route from Hamburg to Leixoes dragged its anchor in position 51 57 06 N, 003 46 07 E, due to the bad weather conditions off Hoek van Holland on June 8, 2019, and was in allision with the "Rysum" which had sailed from Rotterdam and was anchored for order. The "Hercules J." sustained a dent at the starboard side on the aft. The "Rysum" suffered a dent at the bow at port side. Both damages were superficial. On June 9 the "Hercules J" was moored on the RTM Anchorage 5 off Rotterdam in pos. 51° 55.67' N 003° 48.44' E. The "Rysum" was moored in pos. 51° 55.44' N 003° 45.97' E.