Contact made by ro-ro passenger ferry St Faith with linkspan fendering
Location: Attempting to berth at Camber Basin, Portsmouth, England.
Completed PE Summary: St Faith
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Merchant Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | St Faith |
| Registered Owner/Manager | Wightlink Limited |
| Port of Registry | London |
| Flag | UK |
| Type | Passenger ro-ro vessel |
| Built | 1990 |
| Classification Society | Maritime and Coastguard Agency |
| Construction | Steel |
| Length Overall | 76.094m |
| Gross Tonnage | 3009 |
| Date/Time | 28/03/2010, 1412 (BST) |
| Location of Incident | Camber Basin, Portsmouth |
| Incident Type: | Contact |
| Persons Onboard | 13 crew and 364 passengers |
| Fatalities/Injuries | 2 minor injuries |
| Damage | Damage to vessel’s stern ramp and fendering protecting the linkspan |
Synopsis
At 1412 BST on 28 March 2010, the ro-ro passenger ferry, St Faith, landed heavily against fendering while attempting to berth at the Camber Basin linkspan in Portsmouth. Two persons suffered minor injuries and the vessel’s stern ramp was damaged.
On arrival in Portsmouth Harbour, St Faith’s intended berth was occupied by another ferry. As soon as the berth became available, the master manoeuvred St Faith stern-first into Camber Basin, reaching a maximum speed of 8.4 knots. This was faster than normal and increased the ferry’s radius of turn as she approached the berth. Consequently, the ferry was further south than intended, and a significant amount of lateral thrust was applied using the vessel’s Voith Schneider propulsion units to align the stern ramp with the linkspan. The use of lateral force resulted in insufficient ahead power being available to prevent the ferry’s stern ramp from hitting the linkspan fendering at a speed of about 4.5 knots. Although the master had been on duty for the previous 9 hours, it was not considered likely that fatigue was contributory to this accident.
Action taken
The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has written to Wightlink Limited strongly advising that, in addition to the action the company has already taken, all available means are used to monitor its vessels’ speed of approach when berthing.
Published: June 2010