How poor passage planning caused significant pollution when a container vessel ran aground

摘要

Never is the navigating officer more crucial than in ensuring the safety of a ship and its crew at sea. Responsible primarily for human lives, they also safeguard valuable cargo, plus the ship itself and environmental safety. In this series, we take a look at maritime accident reports and the lessons that can be learned. A container vessel carrying heavy fuel oil and various cargoes, including hazardous liquids, ran aground in a bay off the coast of an island. She was seeking calm waters to anchor and carry out repairs. Lack of delegation from her Master and poor passage planning led to the accident, which resulted in substantial localised pollution and damage to the hull and cargo. An attempted salvage operation was unsuccessful and the ship was declared a constructive total loss three weeks later.