Grounding and sinking of sail training vessel Lord Rank
Location: Carrickmannanon Rock, Ballycastle, Northern Ireland.
Completed PE Summary: Lord Rank
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Merchant Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | STV Lord Rank |
| Registered Owner | Ocean Youth Trust Ireland |
| Port of Registry | Belfast |
| Flag | UK |
| Type | Sail training vessel |
| Built | 1991 |
| Construction | GRP |
| Length Overall | 20.58m |
| Gross Tonnage | 48.01 |
| Engine Type/Power | Ford Sabre, 100.7kW |
| Date/Time | 08/06/2010, 2123 (BST) |
| Location of Incident | Carrickmannanon Rock, off Kinbane Head |
| Incident Type | Grounding and sinking |
| Persons Onboard | 6 |
| Injuries/Fatalities | None |
| Damage/Pollution | Vessel sank/None |
Synopsis
Lord Rank was engaged in a charity fund-raising event and was scheduled to call at a number of Northern Ireland ports. On 8 June, the vessel completed her fund-raising activities at Ballycastle and departed port at 2100 with three crew and three passengers on board. The next port of call was Portrush, a passage of about 3 hours under power. No passage planning was undertaken. On clearing the breakwater, the skipper ordered the helmsman to head in a northerly direction. About 10 minutes later he ordered the helmsman to alter course to port and head towards a visual reference point. No further position monitoring was undertaken. The vessel went aground on Carrickmannanon Rock at about 2123. The skipper then broadcast a ‘PAN PAN’ message on VHF radio that was acknowledged by the Coastguard. A rescue operation involving a helicopter, an inshore lifeboat and an all weather lifeboat ensured that the crew and passengers were landed safely ashore. STV Lord Rank subsequently sank.
Action taken
Ocean Youth Trust Ireland has since taken a number of positive actions to ensure the future safe operation of its vessels, including a review of its procedures and their implementation on board.
The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has written to Ocean Youth Trust Ireland emphasising that professional standards need to be maintained at all times and drawing its attention to the Association of Sail Training Organisations’ draft publication “Safety Management in Sail Training: A proposed review for vessels under 200gt”, which is aimed at sharing best practice.
Published: July 2010