Grounding of general cargo vessel Kaami
Location: Sgeir Graidach shoal, the Little Minch, Scotland.
Accident Investigation Report 7/2021
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken and recommendations:
Summary
In the early morning on 23 March 2020, the general cargo vessel Kaami ran aground on Sgeir Graidach shoal in the Little Minch, on the west coast of Scotland. The crew were safely evacuated by coastguard helicopter and the vessel refloated by salvors on 4 May 2020. There were no injuries or pollution but Kaami was declared a constructive total loss and was later scrapped. The crew’s voyage planning procedures and passage monitoring did not identify the grounding hazard presented by the Sgeir Graidach shoal, even after verbal warning from a local fishing boat.
Safety Issues
-
the mandatory generic and type specific training for the electronic chart display and information (ECDIS) system were not successful in providing the crew of Kaami with the skills and knowledge necessary to use the vessel’s ECDIS safely.
-
although manned in accordance with the flag state requirements, the on board operation did not allow adequate opportunity for the chief officer to plan the voyage and for his plan to be checked and verified by a second member of the bridge team as required by the vessel’s safety management system.
-
the safety management system did not provide adequate safeguards for voyage planning and ECDIS use, and the vessel operator’s internal auditing program did not identify shortfalls in voyage planning and ECDIS use.
Recommendations
Recommendations (2021/112, 2021/113, 2021/114 and 2021/115) have been made to Misje Rederi AS to review the number of watchkeepers on its vessels with the aim of minimising the hazards associated with fatigue, improve the guidance given in its safety management systems on the effective use of ECDIS and of bridge lookouts, and to enhance its ability of conduct internal navigation audits.
Related publications
MAIB has been collaborating with the Danish Marine Accident Investigation Branch (DMAIB) in a study of ECDIS use to generate an understanding of the practical application and usability of ECDIS and support future ECDIS design, training strategies and the development of best practices. The draft report consultation ends on 2 June 2021 and the final report of the study is expected to be published soon after.
World Maritime University, 2020 publication: A culture of adjustment, evaluating the implementation of the current maritime regulations on rest and work hours.