| Code: 105294 |

Fall from tug Svitzer Moira with loss of one life

TIN news:   The UK MAIB has published report into the investigation of a fatal accident that occurred while manoeuvring Svitzer Moira alongside an unmanned tug Royal Portbury Dock, in Bristol, on 29 December 2015.
The incident: 
On 29 December 2015, Mr Kevin Jackman, the engineer of the 29m harbour tug Svitzer Moira (Figure 1), was crushed and fatally injured after he fell from his vessel as it was being manoeuvred alongside an unmanned tug in Royal Portbury Dock, Bristol.
Findings:
The MAIB investigation concluded that the engineer probably fell while transferring to the unmanned tug before Svitzer Moira had come fully alongside. Although the vessel’s crew provided first-aid and emergency medical services arrived promptly following the accident, the engineer died of his injuries at the scene.
There were no dedicated berths for tugs within Royal Portbury Dock, and so, when not in use, these vessels were moored alongside commercial berths. This meant that the tugs were often required to move from a berth to make way for an arriving vessel. The port tugs were not manned on a continuous basis and it had become common practice for a tug to move an unmanned tug.
The investigation found shortcomings in the oversight and control of deck operations and lapses in the use of personal protective equipment indicative of a significant divergence between company instructions and working practices on board that had not been corrected by shore management.
Following an internal investigation of the accident, Svitzer Marine Limited has identified a number of remedial measures which include a review of relevant safe systems of work and their associated risk assessments, and actions aimed at improving the safety culture on board its vessels.
Recommendations
In view of the actions taken by Svitzer Marine Limited and the Bristol Port Company, no recommendations have been made in this report.
Further details may be found by reading the report herebelow
maib-report-cover

Send Comment

Multimedia