(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) In the early hours of 15 January 2023, the car carrier SUPREME ACE was sailing from Emden in Germany to Davisville in the United States. Since leaving the pier in Emden, the wind and sea conditions had increased more than indicated in the weather forecasts. There was a storm in the German Bight. A pilot boat transfer was becoming increasingly difficult, and ordering a helicopter at short notice no longer possible. Based on the continuous assessment of the conditions by all parties involved, it was nonetheless decided to transfer the pilot from on board the SUPREME ACE to the pilot tender BORKUM.
As the pilot was completing the transfer and was stepping from the ladder onto the tender, the BORKUM suddenly dropped into a deep wave trough. This caused the pilot to lose his balance and fall into the 7 °C cold water at 0454 hrs. The pilot was rescued and brought on board the tender ten minutes later, due to the coordinated efforts of its crew. After initial treatment in the BORKUM’s mess room, a rescue helicopter flew him to a hospital in Emden.
In its investigation, the BSU focused primarily on initial and further training of pilots in Germany, personal protective equipment for pilots, alternative transfer technologies as compared to the traditional pilot ladder, and the internal post-accident analysis by the LBV’s Emden outstation.
The report concludes with safety recommendations which address such aspects as personal protective equipment for pilots and the dissemination of safety and accidentrelated information within the LBV and its outstations
Find out more details by reading the full investigation report below:
Source: BSU - Germany Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation
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