Raising towage risk awareness and enhancing safety
- Details
- Category: Accidentes
- Published on Tuesday, 21 November 2023 16:58
- Written by Administrator2
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Towage safety has improved in the past two years, but more needs to be done by the maritime industry as there are still too many lost-time incidents (LTIs), injuries and deaths
Reducing incidents of towing line failures, poorly connected pilot ladders and illegally weighted heaving lines will be the focus of the towage industry going forward.
Presenters at the British Tugowners Association (BTA)’s annual safety seminar, held in association with Sanmar Shipyards, highlighted key issues facing the sector including the top injury risks, technology to mitigate issues and raising overall safety.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) chief inspector Andrew Moll said there have been more incidents of pilot ladder deficiencies over the past year as ship operators still do not always know how to rig them correctly or keep them well maintained.
He also highlighted how the February 2023 deadly accident involving tugboat Biter on the Clyde off Greenock, Scotland, was similar to other tug capsizes over the past 25 years. Biter capsized while manoeuvring 2,112-gt, 72-m Hebridean Princess cruise ship into a dock for maintenance.
The MAIB will complete its report into this accident in December and send it out for consultation in Q1 2024, said Mr Moll.
Common themes in maritime incidents include poor planning and risk assessment; lack of use of gog lines; unrealistic expectations of tug performance; and inoperation of emergency releases in case of accidents.
Boluda Towage Europe UK health, safety, environment and quality manager, James Evans presented the BTA’s annual safety statistics for 2022, its review and analysis. These statistics cover LTIs, medical incidents and near misses.
The incidents were in manual handling, machinery issues, working with ropes and navigation. Mr Evans said the root causes of incidents included poor working conditions, lack of knowledge, understanding and leadership, poor machinery maintenance and human error. But he also pointed to inadequate tools, personal protection equipment and training as other causes.
Shipowners P&I senior loss prevention executive Ian Grainger confirmed poor navigation, maintenance and training were key factors in maritime accidents and incidents. He said all vessels, including tugs, should have safety management systems that are “comprehensive, but not complex; detail everything on board; outline daily tasks; and explain how to deal with emergencies.”
During the safety seminar, the UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) manager for ports and vessel traffic systems Kalvin Baugh highlighted the importance of complying with the Port Marine Safety Code, which is non mandatory but recommended for all authorities, owners and operators of ports, harbours, terminals and jetties.
He said this code raises the safety bar for running these maritime interfaces, improving safety for people working in ports and the ships using them. The MCA carries out regular health checks and monitors authorities for their compliance with the code.
Mr Baugh also highlighted MCA’s concerns over the increasing incidents of ships throwing down heaving lines with dangerously heavy weights. Over the past 31 months of collating reports, there have been 146 incidents, of on average 4.7 per month, representing more than one per week.
European Tugowners Association (ETA)’s chairman of the nautical technical committee, Kimmo Lehto, explained how the ETA will be working with the European Marine Pilots Association and universities to increase the safety and efficiency of harbour towage in Europe in the Erasmus+ project, which has gained funding from the European Union.
He expects better planning and communications between all the stakeholders involved in berthing and undocking of ships in ports, including authorities, vessel owners, terminal operators, pilots and tug masters to reduce emissions and result in sustainable towage, and safety enhancements.
IHO S-100
Towage safety will be improved by enhanced tug master-pilot co-ordination and multi-simulator training using the latest software incorporating the new generation of International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) standards for datasets, S-100.
BMT Global director of maritime products Phil Thompson described how S-100 has improved navigation information for safety, incident investigation and port planning.
S-100 is incorporated into BMT’s Rembrandt simulator platform and is being used to increase the flexibility of piloting ships in ports and training tug masters. It is used by the MAIB and accident investigation agencies in the US, Australia, Singapore and the Netherlands to provide insight into incidents and provide lessons learned to the towage industry.
Rembrandt was used to demonstrate the importance of tugs and quick-thinking masters in mitigating the risks of ship groundings and collisions.
The UK Marine Pilots Association vice chair Chris Hoyle used Rembrandt to explain how Svitzer tugs prevented a major accident with container ship MOL Treasure in Southampton, UK, earlier this year. Mr Hoyle was the pilot on the ship when it lost main propulsion power close to the Fowley tanker terminal, and Svitzer Marine tug master Lloyd Thompson was one of the masters that were able to slow the vessel and keep it under control while escorting it back to its dock.
In another presentation, Sensor Technologies chief executive Peter Farthing introduced a range of sensors for remotely monitoring towing lines to prevent incidents and potential breakages, which would likely cause injury to deck crew. Sensor Technologies intends to work with five tug owners to carry out sea trials of these sensors in 2024.
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