MAIB Report: Grounding of the general cargo vessel Kaami
Report on the investigation of the grounding of the general cargo vessel Kaami on the Sgeir Graidach shoal in the Little Minch, Scotland on 21 March 2020, resulting in the evacuation of all crew.
Report on the investigation of the grounding of the general cargo vessel Kaami on the Sgeir Graidach shoal in the Little Minch, Scotland on 21 March 2020, resulting in the evacuation of all crew.
Summary:
In the early morning on 21 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.
The key safety issues identified were:
- 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.
Safety recommendations:
- Safety recommendations have been made to Misje Rederi AS to review the number of watchkeeping officers on board their vessels; review and amend the safety management system guidance on ECDIS use; confirm acceptable navigational procedures fleet wide specifically with ECDIS; and ensure that lookouts on board are fully integrated as members of the bridge team.
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 ended on 2 June 2021 and the final report of the study is expected to be published soon.
https://dmaib.com/reports/2020/safety-report-application-and-usability-of-ecdis-in-consultation/
