{"id":16219,"date":"2025-09-04T19:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T19:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=16219"},"modified":"2025-09-04T19:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T19:04:09","slug":"livestock-carriers-power-loss-in-fremantle-linked-to-poor-maintenance-miscommunication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=16219","title":{"rendered":"Livestock Carrier\u2019s Power Loss In Fremantle Linked To Poor Maintenance & Miscommunication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Livestock Carrier\u2019s Power Loss In Fremantle Linked To Poor Maintenance & Miscommunication<\/div>\n

\t

\n
<\/BR>
\n
\n \t

\n
<\/BR><\/p>\n

\n
\"Livestock<\/div>\n
\"livestock
Image Credits: ATSB\/Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A livestock carrier\u2019s engine failure in the Port of Fremantle earlier this year highlights the need for ship owners and managers to properly manage maintenance, and for marine pilots to follow communication protocols, an ATSB final report notes.<\/p>\n

On 4 March 2025, Kuwait-flagged livestock carrier\u00a0Al\u00a0Messilah\u00a0<\/em>was under pilotage into the Port of Fremantle, WA, when it briefly lost propulsion near the Inner Harbour entrance.<\/p>\n

After the initial loss of propulsion was resolved, the engine failed again as the ship was transiting the Inner Harbour.<\/p>\n

The ship was manoeuvred safely to berth with tug assistance, but the ATSB\u2019s investigation found communication issues increased risk during the incident.<\/p>\n

The investigation\u2019s final report notes Fremantle Ports\u2019 formal protocols designated VHF channel\u00a012 as the primary channel for vessel traffic service (VTS) communications, and channel\u00a08 for towage operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, the pilotage provider, Fremantle Pilots, routinely used VHF channel\u00a08 for pilotage communications during Inner Harbour transits, expecting it to be monitored by all involved parties, including VTS,\u201d ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the\u00a0Al Messilah\u00a0<\/em>incident, the marine pilot\u2019s attempts to contact VTS on channel\u00a08 about the engine failure were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis deviation from established protocol reduced communication reliability at a time when radio communication was essential, leading to delayed emergency coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the ATSB\u2019s finding, Fremantle Pilots has endeavoured to improve communication protocols and is actively working with Fremantle Port Authority to review and update existing practices.<\/p>\n

This work includes benchmarking across best practices at other Australian ports, and providing feedback on the port information guide.<\/p>\n

Planned maintenance systems also highlighted<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Meanwhile, the investigation also found\u00a0Al\u00a0Messilah<\/em>\u2019s engine failures were caused by a malfunction of the main air distributor\u2019s servo piston within the engine\u2019s pneumatic control system, as key components of that system were not maintained in accordance with the manufacturer\u2019s guidelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ship\u2019s planned maintenance system (PMS) did not provide enough detail to track maintenance schedules, and did not have a specific maintenance item to record the maintenance activities on the main engine pneumatic system,\u201d Mr\u00a0Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA comprehensive and well\u2011documented PMS is important to ensure the reliability of critical machinery, particularly systems that directly affect a ship\u2019s manoeuvrability and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the incident, the ship\u2019s main engine pneumatic system was overhauled in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

In addition, a comprehensive review of the ship\u2019s PMS was initiated, with 27\u00a0corrective actions identified and prioritised for implementation.<\/p>\n

Read the final report:\u00a0Loss of propulsion while entering the Port of Fremantle involving Al Messilah, 2 km from Fremantle, Western Australia, on 4 March 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Press Release<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\t

\n
<\/BR>
\n MI News Network
\n \t

\n
<\/BR>
\nGo to marine insight<\/a>
\n \t

\n
<\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Livestock Carrier\u2019s Power Loss In Fremantle Linked To Poor Maintenance & Miscommunication Image Credits: ATSB\/Facebook A livestock carrier\u2019s engine failure in the Port of Fremantle earlier this year highlights the need for ship owners and managers to properly manage maintenance, and for marine pilots to follow communication protocols, an ATSB final report notes. On 4 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,196],"tags":[197],"class_list":["post-16219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marine-insight","category-shipping-news","tag-marine-insight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16219\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}