{"id":871,"date":"2024-11-19T20:03:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T20:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=871"},"modified":"2024-11-19T20:03:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T20:03:59","slug":"u-k-maib-reports-on-deadly-capsize-of-tug-biter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=871","title":{"rendered":"U.K. MAIB reports on deadly capsize of tug Biter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    U.K. MAIB reports on deadly capsize of tug Biter<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    <!-- no image --><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has now published its accident investigation report into the girting [girding] and capsize of the tug <em>Biter<\/em> off Greenock, Scotland on February 2023. Biter was attached to the stern of the passenger vessel Hebridean Princess and the tug\u2019s two crew were unable to escape from the capsized vessel and lost their lives.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignleft is-type-wp-embed is-provider-marine-log wp-block-embed-marine-log\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ovSsz4wBaB\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinelog.com\/inland-coastal\/coastal\/video-tsb-canada-warns-on-girding-risks-facing-tugs\/\">VIDEO: TSB Canada warns on girding risks facing tugs<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"\u201cVIDEO: TSB Canada warns on girding risks facing tugs\u201d \u2014 Marine Log\" src=\"https:\/\/www.marinelog.com\/inland-coastal\/coastal\/video-tsb-canada-warns-on-girding-risks-facing-tugs\/embed\/#?secret=fZCXiEGC5W#?secret=ovSsz4wBaB\" data-secret=\"ovSsz4wBaB\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Girding or girting, depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on, happens when a vessel is pulled broadside by a towline force and is unable to get out of this position. This can quickly lead to the vessel capsizing or sinking. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada published <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinelog.com\/inland-coastal\/coastal\/video-tsb-canada-warns-on-girding-risks-facing-tugs\/\">a report and video on the risks <\/a>involved back in 2018 and, according to Transport Canada, \u201cit is <a href=\"https:\/\/tc.canada.ca\/en\/marine-transportation\/marine-safety\/ship-safety-bulletins\/hazards-risks-girding-during-towing-operations-ssb-no-16-202\">one of the most dangerous situations a tug can face,<\/a> and there is often a risk of girding when towing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTug <em>Biter<\/em>\u2019s accident was another cruel lesson of how rapidly things can go dreadfully wrong. In less than 10 seconds the tug capsized, and two experienced seafarers lost their lives, because of a breakdown of the systems that should have kept them safe,\u201d said Andrew Moll OBE, the U.K.\u2019s Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, when the report on the <em>Biter<\/em> incident was released earlier this month. \u201cSmall conventional tugs remain an essential part of U.K. port operations. However, the vulnerabilities of these vessels must be understood by those that operate and control them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarbor authorities, ship and tug masters, and pilots should collectively own this risk. Pilots and tug crews must be suitably trained and experienced for their roles, and they must share a detailed understanding of the towage plan before they start the job. Speed, which has an exponential effect on towing forces, must be carefully controlled and the lines correctly set. Everyone involved must then monitor the execution of the plan and, if needed, act to keep everyone safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The summary of the full MAIB report says:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt about 1527 on Feb. 24, 2023, the twin screw conventional tug <em>Biter<\/em> girted and capsized off Greenock, Scotland while attached to the stern of the passenger vessel <em>Hebridean Princess<\/em>, which was making its approach to James Watt Dock. <em>Bite<\/em>r\u2019s two crew were unable to escape from the capsized vessel and lost their lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe investigation found that <em>Biter<\/em> girted and capsized because it was unable to reverse direction to operate directly astern of Hebridean Princess before the tug\u2019s weight came on to the towing bridle and, when this happened, the tug\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westpandi.com\/getattachment\/ef5ba94b-c981-4ffb-8b26-f156522c2c68\/the-risk-of-tugs-capsizing-due-to-girting.pdf\">gob rope<\/a> did not prevent it being towed sideways. The investigation also found that <em>Hebridean Princes<\/em>s\u2019s speed meant that the load on <em>Biter\u2019s<\/em> towlines was between two and five times more than at the port\u2019s recommended speed range. Thereafter, given the tug\u2019s rapid capsize, it was unlikely that <em>Biter\u2019s<\/em> crew had sufficient time to operate the tug\u2019s emergency tow release mechanism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce the tug was inverted, the open accommodation hatch might have prevented air being trapped inside the wheelhouse, potentially limiting the crew\u2019s chance of survival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe investigation also found that the master\/pilot and pilot\/tug information exchanges were incomplete and that the opportunity to correct the pilot\u2019s assumption about <em>Biter<\/em>\u2019s intended maneuver was lost. Further analysis indicated that the training provided had not adequately prepared the pilot for their role and that it was likely that the tug master did not fully appreciate the risks associated with the maneuver. Two safety issues that did not directly contribute to the accident have been examined in the report: the guidance to seafarers on what medical conditions need to be reported to their approved doctor; and that the tugs were not required to be fitted with automatic identification systems while operating in confined waters covered by a local port service that used this equipment to monitor marine traffic within the port.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecommendations have been made to <em>Biter<\/em>\u2019s owner, Clyde Marine Services Limited to: review its risk assessment and safety management system to provide clear guidance to its masters on the rigging and securing of the gob rope, and the safe speed for the conduct of key maneuvers; and, to adopt an appropriate training and qualification scheme for its tug masters. Recommendations have also been made to Clydeport Operations Limited to commission an independent review of the tug training provided to its pilots within the port and to risk assess and review its Pilot Grade Limits and Tug Matrix; and, to U.K. pilot, harbor master, port, tug owners and workboat associations to develop appropriate marine guidance on the safety issues raised.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Much more in the full report <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3ZbBOj8\">HERE<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinelog.com\/uncategorized\/u-k-maib-reports-on-deadly-capsize-of-tug-biter\/\">U.K. MAIB reports on deadly capsize of tug Biter<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinelog.com\/\">Marine Log<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    Nick Blenkey<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinelog.com\/uncategorized\/u-k-maib-reports-on-deadly-capsize-of-tug-biter\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=u-k-maib-reports-on-deadly-capsize-of-tug-biter\">Go to marinelog<\/a><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.K. MAIB reports on deadly capsize of tug Biter The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has now published its accident investigation report into the girting [girding] and capsize of the tug Biter off Greenock, Scotland on February 2023. Biter was attached to the stern of the passenger vessel Hebridean Princess and the tug\u2019s two [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,666,667,668,669,192,199,489,670,1],"tags":[193],"class_list":["post-871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biter","category-capsize","category-girdingm","category-girting","category-maib","category-marinelog","category-news","category-safety-and-security","category-tugboat","category-uncategorized","tag-marinelog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871"}],"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=871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}