(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On 16 March 2024, the Republic of the Marshall Islands-registered bulk carrier NAN BEI HU, managed by Fleet Management Limited (the “Company”) was loading nickel ore by means of the ship’s cranes and grabs from barges that came alongside at Rio Tuba anchorage, Republic of the Philippines (hereinafter the “Philippines”).
At 1430, no more barges were available and grabs Nos. 1 and 2 were parked on deck fully open to carry out maintenance on the hydraulic lines. To drain the hydraulic lines, a plastic drum was placed under the through-beam of the grabs. The plastic drum used to drain grab No. 1 did not fit under the fully opened grab and consequently, the grab was partially closed to lift the through-beam.
When the grab was parked on deck, the Bosun and the C/O noticed that the thimble of the grab wire of grab No. 1 was dislodged. It was decided to immediately replace the wire. An RA was completed. The C/O conducted a Toolbox Talk with the crewmembers involved in the task. To remove the grab wire, the dead end had to be removed from the wire socket.
The crane hoisting wire and the grab wire were both slackened. As a result, the grab rested on the two partially opened scoops without hydraulic pressure in the lines or in the cylinder. A chain block was connected to the grab wire on one end and to a D-ring on deck on the other end to pull the wire out of the wire socket.
Around 1700, the ASD2 went under the grab to operate the chain block. When the chain block came under load, the grab opened unexpectedly to its fully open position, which reduced the space between the through-beam and the deck to approximately 30 cm and pushed the ASD2 down onto the deck.
The ASD1 and ASD3 immediately ran to the crane cabin and lifted the grab to free the ASD2. The breathing of the ASD2 was observed to be weak. The Master and other crewmembers were notified and subsequently, medical oxygen was administered. The Master contacted the ship’s agent to arrange shoreside medical assistance, and telemedical advice was established.
At 1855, a shore rescue team boarded the ship and at 2044, the ASD2 was transferred to the local hospital. At 2136, the ASD2 arrived at the hospital and shortly thereafter was declared deceased due to internal hemorrhage and hypovolemic shock.
The below lessons learned were identified.
- Procedures to execute non-routine and unplanned jobs need to be followed and that simultaneous operations impose additional risks that should be addressed.
- The importance of recognizing unsafe behavior and the use of the stop-work authority when an unsafe act is observed.
- The need for familiarization with the ship’s equipment prior to executing maintenance jobs to the grab and associated components.
For more details, click below to download the full Marshall Islands investigation report:
Source: Marshall Islands Flag Administration
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