LUCIA B

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Near collision with yacht

On Nov 24, 2021, the Maritime Safety Investigation Office of the Maltese Islands notified the Gabinete de Investigação de Acidentes Marítimos e da Autoridade para a Meteorologia Aeronáutica (GAMA) that sailing yacht 'Freebird' reported a situation of excessive proximity and maneuver to avoid a collision with the 'Karin Schepers', which was en route from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Las Palmas with an ETA as of Nov 30. The GAMA has already requested the evidence from the vessel and the owner company for analysis and notified the European Commission through the European Platform for Information on Maritime Accidents (EMCIP).

Intoxicated captain fell asleep before grounding

The captain of the "Karin Schepers" was sounding "increasingly intoxicated" before falling asleep on the bridge in August 2011, then it ran aground near Pendeen on a small stretch of beach not more than a few hundred feet wide, an investigation has revealed. The uncontactable ship was travelling at almost 17 knots when it beached just 30 metres short of the shore, in an incident one rescue team member has said could have occurred without anybody realising it. A report published by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said voice recordings from the bridge indicate the captain had probably assaulted his second officer, making him cry and leave the bridge. Then, after the "Karin Schepers" hit the beach at 16.6 knots, the captain simply threw the engines into reverse without checking on the condition of his ship or the crew. It was extremely fortunate that Karin Schepers grounded in an isolated area of sand and suffered no damage. However, the attempt to refloat the vessel before an assessment was made of her condition was ill-considered. The container ship, which carried a cargo including petroleum, sent alarm bells ringing last August 3 when it travelled straight through strict shipping lanes enforced around Land's End. John Chappell, lifeboat operations manager at Sennen Cove, recalled from the outset emergency teams were preparing themselves for a disaster: "I told Phil Shannon, our acting coxswain, that he was launching to a big one and she was going to hit the shore. The amazing thing is that if it hadn't been for the Automatic Identification System nobody would have known anything had happened because she got herself free." Using Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) information, investigators found that before the incident the captain, a 39-year-old Ukrainian national, had made a number of visits to the bridge. The report said the second officer "considered the master to be drunk". VDR records indicated that the captain became progressively more tired and displayed more signs of intoxication, ultimately becoming physically abusive to the second officer before falling asleep, alone, on the bridge. As the ship continued towards Pendeen, snoring could be heard on the VDR. After the ship was refloated, the report said the master and his chief officer "agreed" their official log would not mention the grounding. They ignored instructions to save VDR information, later recovered by MAIB technicians. The report concluded with recommendations to the ship's owners, the company which provided the crew, and to

Lucky escape due to spring tide

Report with photos: http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Beached-cargo-vessel-lucky-escape/story-13069759-detail/story.html Video: http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/cornwall_news/9174257.VIDEO__Ship_runs_aground_despite_coastguard_warnings/