Sichem Melbourne - Marine Accident Investigation Branch

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1.2.3 6 The pilot decided to regain control of the situation by laying Sichem Melbourne alongside the empty jetty 1 (which frequently berths liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers) and then get tugs to pull her clear, but he did not communicate this plan to the master. The master, on seeing Sichem Melbourne moving towards jetty 1, took command and forcefully steered the vessel clear of jetty 1 with the use of engine, rudder and thruster manoeuvres. However, this placed the vessel in danger of being carried broadside towards the causeway and pipe line carrying oil from the tanker Thornbury, discharging on jetty 4 (Figure 2). A rapid series of full ahead / full astern manoeuvres then took place, with the master and pilot countermanding each other’s orders at one point until, at 2029.40, the main engine’s safety management system cut in and shut the engine down. The ship still had some 3.5kts of way on her at this point and she landed heavily on the mooring dolphin MD41 (Figure 2), which held the stern lines for Thornbury, displacing the supporting legs of the dolphin. On notification of the engine failure, the pilot immediately requested tug assistance via PLVTS, and the duty tug, Castlepoint, was dispatched from her station nearby. The chief engineer succeeded in quickly resetting the engine and regaining power, allowing Sichem Melbourne to clear Thornbury’s stern by a very small margin and pass into the main channel. Post-accident The pilot notified PLVTS that engine power in Sichem Melbourne had been restored and the vessel was proceeding downstream. He then contacted the duty port controller and told him of the incident and cancelled his previous request for tug assistance. The duty port controller advised the pilot to take the ship to nearby Southend anchorage until it could be established what damage had been done to the vessel and the jetty structures. As the mooring structure holding Thornbury’s stern line had been damaged, discharge was suspended and the tug Stanford was dispatched to push against her stern as a precautionary measure, until the dolphin could be properly inspected for damage. With Sichem Melbourne proceeding towards the anchorage, the ship’s damage control party established that she had not sustained serious damage and the master notified his managers, EMS Ship Management, India, of the accident. Sichem Melbourne anchored safely at Southend without further incident. At daylight the next morning the full extent of the damage to both ship (Figures 3a, b, c, d) and mooring structures (Figures 4a, b, c, d) was established. The mooring dolphins were inspected by divers for foundation damage, and were deemed secure. Temporary repairs were carried out above water and the dolphins were declared sound enough to attach ropes to, and safe for personnel. Following an inspection of Sichem Melbourne’s main engine controls and hull damage by a surveyor from the ship’s classification society, Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the ship was allowed to sail, in ballast, to a repair yard. Her full term Safety Construction Certificate was withdrawn and a short term certificate, valid for 6 days, was issued in its place. No deficiencies were found with the engine control system and the ship’s manager made arrangements for hull repairs to be carried out.
Damage to Sichem Melbourne’s sheer strake and deck edge Deck edge damage Figure 3a Figure 3b 7
Page 1 and 2: Report on the investigation of Sich
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Page GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIAT
Page 5 and 6: SIRE - Ship Inspection Report SMS -
Page 7 and 8: SYNOPSIS On the evening of 25 Febru
Page 9 and 10: 1.2 1.2.1 1.2.2 NARRATIVE Much of t
Page 11: Reproduced from Admiralty Chart BA
Page 15 and 16: Damage to MD 41 mooring structure a
Page 17 and 18: 1.3 SicheM Melbourne 1.4 1.5 Sichem
Page 19 and 20: Bridge wing and bow thruster contro
Page 21 and 22: 1.00 0.01 0.18 0.56 1.13 1.00 1.00
Page 23 and 24: Extract courtesy of BP and PLA BP r
Page 25 and 26: SECTION 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 AIM - ANALYSI
Page 27 and 28: 2.6 2.7 The master and pilot were s
Page 29 and 30: Pembroke Fisher departed from GATX
Page 31 and 32: SECTION 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 - ACTION

Sichem Melbourne - Marine Accident Investigation Branch

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