MAIB Investigation Report - Gas Monarch/Whispa

[jwrhind]

Sorry if this has already been posted.

Another interesting MAIB report, involving a yacht / commercial vessel

http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/2007/gas_monarch_whispa.cfm

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I was surprised that there was no mention in the synopsis of the fact that Gas Monarch was proceeding at full speed in dense fog, somewhat at odds with Rule 19... maybe its in the full report?

 

[jwrhind]

The full report mentions that, and the absence of sound signals....

 

[damo]

...and it added no end of fun (yawn) to the recent Scuttlebut colregs fight /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[sailorman]

an extract

[Aliniel/Pride of Bilbao 2000
On 28 August 2000,at about 2200,in moderate to good visibility,the 37500grt
passenger ferry,Pride of Bilbao,was involved in a near collision with the yacht Aliniel,
Pride of Bilbao ,when less than a mile from the yacht,
changed her course and headed directly towards her.The yacht ’s crew only had
enough time to put the engines full ahead and to shine a powerful light onto the sails;
there was no time to use flares despite them being readily accessible by the chart table.
Pride of Bilbao took effective emergency action and eventually passed less than a cable
During the subsequent exchange on VHF radio,the ferry apologised and stated that
they had “lost ”the yacht off the radar.]

 

[1611]

The report also advises fitting of AIS class B which would have maintained the contact as an overlay on the ships radar screen when the radar contact was lost. Money well spent IMHO.

 

[ParaHandy]

another ship with ineffectve radar, without ARPA because <10,000t GW (didn't know that) and another OW who carried on rather than stopping and finding out what had happened and another leisure sailor without a working knowledge of his radar set (cf wahkuna). Its appalling ..

 

[boatmike]

Yes para. Sad innit? But also another old ship, that although he was without ARPA and had old radar with dodgy magnatrons, did have an overlay of AIS on his radar screen. If Whispa had been transmitting on AIS B things may have been different and I see he has now fitted one.
I suspect that even the meanest owners with the oldest ships are fitting AIS recievers at least as a defensive measure even if not properly set up on ARPA.
I think as I have to fork out nearly £200 for a reasonable receiver I might well go all the way for AIS B meself.... I shall still assume a defensive strategy though.
Just because someone called me paranoid does not mean that they are not out to get me /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Robin]

It seems to me that the risk of being run down will be considerably reduced if we simply avoid being near any waters where Pride of Bilbao is likely to be! Add the rest of the 'Prides' because Pride of Portsmouth cut a French mobo in half off Cherbourg a few years back and the risks are getting even better. The incident in this report with P of B is very similar to the believed fate of Ouzo with P of B[/sarcycomment]

 

[Sailfree]

[ QUOTE ]
and another OW who carried on rather than stopping and finding out what had happened Its appalling ..

[/ QUOTE ]

The OW carried on at Full speed and only called the skipper after a distress signal with the inference that he was in shock.

This incident and the Ouzo suggest to me that OW may share the same tendancy as some drivers who after hitting a parked car drive off if there was nobody to notice it - maybe a natural human reaction but one that in the case of small boats can have fatal consequences.

Must practise more with my Radar and MARPA on clear days next year as it always take 2 to collide.