Passenger ferry "Aratere", lifeboat incident, Wellington, 6 August 2001
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
01-211
On Monday 6 August 2001 at about 0730, a lifeboat and rescue boat launching drill was conducted on board the passenger and freight ferry "Aratere". At about 0750, during the recovery of the port lifeboat, the forward hook of the synchronous release equipment opened spontaneously when the lifeboat was about one metre above the water. The bow of the lifeboat fell back into the water. None of the 8 occupants were injured and the lifeboat sustained no damage.
Safety issues identified included:
• the design of the equipment, which allowed the closure of the operating levers while the release mechanism was not properly engaged
• the limited visibility from inside the lifeboat of critical parts of the release equipment, which did not allow the boat crew to adequately check that the release mechanism was properly engaged
• the limited opportunities for maintenance and training, leading to a lack of appreciation by the ship’s crew of the proper operation of the release mechanism
• the difficulty of operating the cumbersome and complicated equipment while attempting to recover a lifeboat from a seaway
• the fitting of replacement critical parts that were not made or approved by the manufacturer of the release mechanism
• the lack of appreciation by the ship’s crew of warning signs in previous events which, if acted upon, would have increased the crew’s knowledge of the equipment.
Safety recommendations were made to the managing director of Tranz Rail, the Spanish maritime administration, Inspeccion General Maritima, Pesbo S.A., the International Association of Classification Societies and the Director of Maritime Safety to address the safety issues
Safety issues identified included:
• the design of the equipment, which allowed the closure of the operating levers while the release mechanism was not properly engaged
• the limited visibility from inside the lifeboat of critical parts of the release equipment, which did not allow the boat crew to adequately check that the release mechanism was properly engaged
• the limited opportunities for maintenance and training, leading to a lack of appreciation by the ship’s crew of the proper operation of the release mechanism
• the difficulty of operating the cumbersome and complicated equipment while attempting to recover a lifeboat from a seaway
• the fitting of replacement critical parts that were not made or approved by the manufacturer of the release mechanism
• the lack of appreciation by the ship’s crew of warning signs in previous events which, if acted upon, would have increased the crew’s knowledge of the equipment.
Safety recommendations were made to the managing director of Tranz Rail, the Spanish maritime administration, Inspeccion General Maritima, Pesbo S.A., the International Association of Classification Societies and the Director of Maritime Safety to address the safety issues
Location
Wellington (-41.268485,174.786923) [may be approximate]