Officer distracted when ship ran aground
AN investigation into the reasons a Dutch cargo vessel ran aground on the Pentland Skerries last year concluded that an officer's inattention to his duties played a part in the accident.
At 3.30am on July 18, 2018, the 89m frieghter Priscilla went aground on the Pentland Skerries and was refloated seven days later after her cargo of fertilizer was partially removed.
While she sustained significant hull damage, no pollution or injuries were reported.
The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has now determined that the grounding was caused in part by the officer – known as a watchstander – being distracted by watching and listening to music videos on his mobile phone for around two hours.
The moment that the vessel grounded is covered in some detail in the report. It said that when Priscilla hit the rocks, the master was already awake and getting dressed in preparation for the Pentland Firth transit but "the force of the grounding threw him on to his bunk".
"He immediately went to the bridge and realised the vessel was aground. The master made one attempt to free Priscilla by putting the engine full astern, but this was unsuccessful," the report stated.
The ship had moved from its planned route and the alternative one put it in "imminent danger" of grounding in an area well-known for its treacherous rocks.
The MAIB report said there should have been "additional watchkeeping" on the Priscilla during the night and early morning.
The inquiry found that between 2am and 4am the officer had failed to log the vessel's position hourly, and was unaware that Priscilla was being set off her planned route by a strong tidal stream.
At 4am, he looked at the radar and realized that Priscilla was south of her intended track. The report states: "The opportunity to alter course to starboard at this point and return directly to the planned route was not taken. This investigation has not established a definitive reason why this did not happen."
The radar showed two small islands ahead – Muckle Skerry and Little Skerry. Based on the radar information alone and without referring to a chart, he elected to proceed between them. His intended course of action put Priscilla on track towards a dangerous reef between the two islands.
The MAIB further concludes that the officer was "likely" to have been anxious about his perceived mistake of allowing the vessel to drift off track and "might not have wanted to alert the master".
Priscilla’s watchstander responded to two verbal warnings from shore authorities of the danger ahead. However, the action taken in response to the warnings was not effective and indicated that the officer did not have sufficient understanding of the issue and turn away from danger.
The MAIB also said there were no navigational alarms and, although the accident happened at night, no additional lookout had been posted. Since the grounding the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has taken steps to improve the standards of vessel traffic monitoring in the Pentland Firth.
The MAIB said the Priscilla's owner had updated onboard procedures, but had been asked to take further steps to improve standards of watchkeeping.
