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In situations like this accident, shipmasters must take responsibility

Gillberg
In situations like this accident, shipmasters must take responsibility

The Nautical Institute reports on an incident in which a bulk carrier loaded with a cargo of coal was at anchor. The deck crew was tasked with lubricating the claws of the access hatches to the hold.

SSome of the handles were rusted and had to be disassembled before they could be greased.

Four crew members worked to release the dog handles on one of the blast hatches. As they did this, the blast hatch was open and a dismantled dog handle fell through the hatch. A man climbed down to get it. As he climbed back up with the recovered dog pole, he lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen, fell and landed on the coal load about 3.5 meters below.

The alarm was immediately raised and the crew mobilized to rescue the victim. An officer arrived at the blast hatch wearing an Emergency Escape Breathing Device (EEBD) hood and entered the cargo hold via the blast hatch ladder. In the meantime, two air hoses were connected to the air supply to supply air to the hold. The officer who had entered the blast hatch with the EEBD soon came out and said that it was difficult to breathe and hot in the hold.

The chef then took matters into his own hands on his own initiative. He grabbed the two air hoses, a seat belt and ropes and descended into the hold to attempt a rescue. Within five minutes, the cook managed to secure the safety belt under the victim’s arms and the crew on the main deck was able to pull it out; The cook left the hold shortly afterwards. The victim was not breathing and there was no heartbeat or pulse. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on the victim and he was evacuated to shore, but to no avail – he was pronounced dead.

Lessons learned: Shipmasters must take responsibility in situations like this accident
Photo credit: The Nautical Institute

Lessons learned

  • During an emergency rescue, the atmosphere of an enclosed space should always be considered unsafe unless confirmed otherwise.
  • An EEBD should never be used to rescue a victim in an enclosed space. This device is intended only for escape from a room containing a hazardous atmosphere and should not be used to enter oxygen-deficient cavities or tanks on board ships.
  • Many indoor emergencies have caused more casualties; People who attempted to save the original victim themselves succumbed to lack of oxygen during improvised and poorly executed rescue operations. In this case, the cook and the officer were simply “lucky” with the EEBD.
  • In situations like this accident, shipmasters must take responsibility. The officer should never have entered the hold with just an EEBD, and the cook should have been immediately prevented from entering the hold.
  • Although indoor rescue drills are now mandatory on ships, the “elephant in the room” – the problem that is not discussed – remains the lack of standardized and comprehensive training for the crew (how to practice what you cannot do). ?) and the lack of mandatory rescue equipment to be carried on board.
  • Another “elephant in the room” is the unwritten understanding that in non-breathable atmospheres, rescue can be carried out in enclosed spaces using fire-fighting breathing apparatus (BA). Although this equipment is arguably better than nothing, it is very bulky and could hinder rescue or be otherwise counterproductive. Slimline rescue BA equipment is available in other industries, but there is currently no requirement for use in the marine industry.

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