• Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Marine Tech
    • Air Compressor
    • Ship Generator
    • Oily Water Separator
    • Ship Stabilizer
    • Boiler
  • Navigation
    • Mooring
    • Watchkeeping
    • Maneuvering
    • Anchoring
    • Equipment
  • Maritime Law
  • More
    • Case Studies
    • Life At Sea
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Marine Careers
    • Naval Arch
    • Ship Safety
    • Shipboard Guidelines
    • Forums
    • Types of Ships
    • Financial Planning
    • Photos
    • Apps
  • Premium E-Books
  • Free E-Books
  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Marine Tech
    • Air Compressor
    • Ship Generator
    • Oily Water Separator
    • Ship Stabilizer
    • Boiler
  • Navigation
    • Mooring
    • Watchkeeping
    • Maneuvering
    • Anchoring
    • Equipment
  • Maritime Law
  • More
    • Case Studies
    • Life At Sea
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Marine Careers
    • Naval Arch
    • Ship Safety
    • Shipboard Guidelines
    • Forums
    • Types of Ships
    • Financial Planning
    • Photos
    • Apps
  • Premium E-Books
  • Free E-Books

Marine Insight

The Maritime Industry Guide

You are here: Home › Case Studies › Real Life Incident: Crane Boom Falls Into Ship’s Hold

Real Life Incident: Crane Boom Falls Into Ship’s Hold

By MARS Reports | In: Case Studies | Last Updated on October 12, 2021

TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestBuffer

A general cargo vessel was in port loading packaged timber. The ship was moored to a large barge equipped with a knuckle boom crane. This was being used to load the ship, together with one of the ship’s own cranes. Two stevedores worked together in the ship’s cargo hold, directing the loading and uncoupling the sling. No other member of the stevedoring team was on board to act as signalman or hatch boss to supervise and control the loading operation from the ship’s deck.

The ship’s crane had difficulties reaching certain zones of the cargo hold; this resulted in the crane arm being operated close to or even beyond its lower limit. When cargo handling had been ongoing for around a day and a half the topping cable released from the winch drum and the crane arm fell into the cargo hold, landing about half a metre from the stevedores. Fortunately, there were no physical injuries.

The official SHK investigation found, among other things, that:

  • The ship’s crane had been modified. An extra switch had been installed which, when activated, bypassed the crane’s limit switches for maximum lowering. It appears the modification had been made by a previous operator and crew. The reason for the modification could not be determined. Bypassing the limit switches allowed the crane boom to be lowered to a level which was too low for cargo handling, and to a point where there was not enough cable remaining on the winch drum to hold the combined weight of the crane boom and cargo load.
  • The present crew, relatively new to the ship, had not discovered the bypass switch during the course of their own inspections.
  • The crane operator did not perform a full operational check of the crane before the start of lifting manoeuvres. Such a check may well have helped in the discovery of the nonconforming bypass switch.

Lessons learned

  • Never bypass safety equipment such as limit switches.
  • Always do full operational tests before using cargo handling equipment.
  • Always use a signalman during cargo operations.

Reference: nautinst.org

Report an Error

Related Posts

open hold
Real Life Incident: Crewmember’s Fatal Fall Into A Hold
Ava Claire under way before the casualty.
Case Study: Captain’s Sleep Inertia Led To Tow Striking Lock Gate
ampar 8 tanker
Crude Oil Being Unloaded From Tanker Ship That Exploded In Thailand
Crime - Criminal
Man Pleads Guilty Of Attacking Three Crewmates & Killing One

Tags: accident crane real life incident

Want to share your tips and advice? Got questions? Visit the community forum to ask questions, get answers, meet people, and share your tips!

About MARS Reports

The Mariners' Alerting and Reporting Scheme is primarily a confidential reporting system run by The Nautical Institute to allow full reporting of accidents (and near misses) without fear of identification or litigation. MARS reports also regularly comprise alerts condensed from official industry sources, so that issues resulting from recent incidents can be efficiently relayed to the mariner on board.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Now

all women crew vessel

Photos: All-Women Crew Embarks On An Expedition – International Day For Women In Maritime

Turkish ship fire

Turkish Seafarer Passes Away Due To Fire On Bridge Of Cargo Ship

autonomous vessel AI identification

Watch: Autonomous Vessel Avoids Collisions, Completes 800Km Voyage Without Human Assistance

freight ship

How to Calculate Ocean Freight Charges?

Seafarers win commitment to mandatory internet access in international law

Seafarers Win Commitment To Mandatory Internet Access In International Law

Marine Engineering

  • Marine engine
  • Air compressor
  • Marine boiler
  • Oily water separator
  • Marine Electrical
  • Ship Generator
  • Oily water separator

Nautical Science

  • Mooring
  • Bridge Watchkeeping
  • Ship Manoeuvring
  • Nautical Charts
  • Anchoring
  • Nautical Equipment
  • Shipboard Guidelines

Explore

  • Free Maritime eBooks
  • Premium Maritime eBooks
  • Marine Safety
  • Financial Planning
  • Marine Careers
  • Maritime Law
  • Ship Dry Dock

More

  • Shipping News
  • Maritime Reports
  • Videos
  • Maritime Piracy
  • Offshore
  • Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS)
  • MARPOL
  Privacy Policy   |   Refund Policy   |   Contact Us  |   Disclaimer   |   About Us   |   Team   |   Advertise  |   Send Us News

Copyright © 2010 - 2022 Marine Insight — All Rights Reserved | Made with ♥ in India DMCA.com Protection Status

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website