Acting on Instinct
This week, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued its report on the deaths of three stevedores in a cargo hold access space on board a bulk carrier.
Berge Mawson was in Indonesia, loading coal from barges using a floating crane. During a pause in loading due to heavy rain, all hatches were closed. After the rain stopped, a stevedore mistakenly entered the access space of a cargo hold and was overcome. Two other stevedores collapsed while attempting to rescue him as crew collected rescue equipment. The stevedores had not been trained on safe cargo work on board bulk carriers or on the dangers of enclosed spaces.
Gard recently highlighted another incident where two stevedores died onboard a bulk carrier when entering a cargo hold containing zinc concentrate. Both stevedores were discovered inside the hold lying on top of the cargo, one having tried to save the other.
Investigation reports for enclosed space accidents often conclude that the underlying cause was “failure to follow established procedures” but these accidents are likely caused by a wide range of operational, commercial, technical and training-related factors. Still, says Gard: “Far too often, we also see that individuals who die in enclosed spaces do so in the course of attempting to rescue fellow co-workers when acting by instinct and emotion rather than knowledge and training.”
InterManager estimates that around 350 seafarers and third-party workers have died from asphyxiation in enclosed spaces onboard ships since 1996, with 43 accidents since 2022 accounting for 70 of these deaths.
The IMO has been taking action. In September 2024, the IMO Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargo (CCC 10) presented an amended version of Res. A.1050(27) with the aim of boosting safety. The section on cargo-related hazards has been expanded and better onboard activity and resource planning is called for to ensure that external factors such as undue time pressure or simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) do not put people at risk.
These changes are expected to be approved by MSC 110 in June this year.
Ship design issues are also under scrutiny, reports DNV. This week, the society cited instances where ships have been detained during Port State Control inspections due to the arrangement of emergency escape trunks from machinery spaces, even though the arrangements were approved by the flag state or their Recognized Organization.
Some inspectors are requesting the crew conduct an evacuation/rescue drill involving evacuating an injured person on a stretcher from the lowest deck, up the ladder and into the protected trunk. Vessels have been detained if the drill does not meet the inspector’s satisfaction.
However, recent recommendations where ISM provisions and more frequent drills are supposed to fix deficient ship design are an opportunity lost to engineer out some of the risks.
Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of InterManager, says: “While this ongoing risk persists, I feel we need to do more than introduce more training and drills for seafarers. I believe we need to widen our discussion beyond the actions of crew to include Port State Control and ship designers. We need to create a safe environment for humans to work in and to fix ship deficiencies.”
He also notes that InterManager statistics, collated since 1998, indicate that the majority of casualties are from senior ranks. “So, are officers rushing in to save collapsed colleagues in tanks and other high-risk areas? Were time constraints and manning levels a factor?
“This is something our industry needs to work on together. We cannot ask seafarers and shore workers to pay with their lives.”
InterManager, together with The Nautical Institute and IMarEST, have produced anindustry-wide survey which aims to collate feedback to delve deeper into what’s going wrong and to better understand what solutions are needed.
