MARGRETHE FIGHTER

scrapped

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Course/Position

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Scrapped

Scrapped at Grenaa 11/2022 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3030035743963236&set=pcb.10161736448498943

Accident investigation report publsihed

The AIBN marine accident report regarding the capsized of the 'Margrethe Fighter' in the port of Trelleborg has been published. In short, the accident was due to the fact that the crew used a practice which did not appear obviously dangerous but which could reduce the ship's stability to such an extent that it was no longer seaworthy. The fact that such a practice could take place was due to a lack of division of labour and knowledge between the ship, the company's technical department and the project management. hold The water depth at the dredging site was approx. 8.85 meters, which was at the limit of what the excavator arm could reach without ballast on board. Therefore, the ballast tanks in the foreship were filled to push the foreship down while digging. When the cargo hold was half full, the digger warned the skipper, as he used to, that it was time to unload the ballast tanks. When the cargo hold was filled to approx. 50 cm below the bilge gates, and the bow of the ship was pressed so far down that water could be seen on the deck, the excavator master assessed that the ship was fully loaded. He placed the excavator's bucket in the cargo hold to port side in the middle because the ship had a slight starboard tilt, after which he went back to the accommodation. When the excavator had driven to its usual place, the skipper raised his support legs and began sailing towards the port. Before the relocation voyage started, the skipper had been in the engine room to open the valves to the ballast bottom tanks and started the pump. During the voyage, the helmsman went out on the foreship to be ready for unloading. He noticed that the ship was deeper in the water than usual and therefore went to the foreship from the engine room via a passage under deck because there was water on deck due to the ship's negative trim. Suddenly he noticed that the ship was beginning to heel to starboard in an unusual way. He went up to the wheelhouse, where he saw that the skipper was in the process of turning the ship to port. They had a brief conversation about what was wrong since the ship heeled more than it used to. The excavator master saw that the water flood the foreship and that the foreship sank farther and farther down. In recognition of the seriousness of the situation, the master tried to save the situation by turning the ship to starboard. Out on the foreship, the helmsman noticed that the ship was tilting violently towards the starboard side. He heard the excavator master shout to him that he should move the shovel of the excavator over to the port side to straighten the ship. The helmsman feared that the ship was about to capsize, and instead he immediately climbed up on the excavator to be able to get away from the ship when it capsized. He realized that the situation could not be saved, hurried out the door on the port side of the wheelhouse, shouting to the skipper that he must get out. At the same time the ship capsized to starboard side. The skipper, who was standing in the starboard side of the wheelhouse by the control levers, did not manage to get out. While the ship capsized, the helsmman held on to a railing in the bridge wing, and when the ship had turned completely around and lay bottom up, he managed to get free from the ship and stay half above water by holding on to a fender. The helmsman was pulled under the ship, but he managed to swim away from the ship and get up to the surface, where he drifted with the current away from the ship. The helmsman and the digging master were quickly picked up by a lifeboat, but the skipper did not escape. He was found dead five days later in the ship's wheelhouse. Full report: https://dmaib.dk/media/10281/margrethe-fighter-forlis-den-17-februar-2021.pdf

MARGRETHE FIGHTER 8705620

On Feb 17, 2021, at 1.40 p.m. the 'Margrethe Fighter' suddenly capsized with three crew members on board in Trelleborg. All three fell into the water. Two people wre picked up from the water and taken to hospital by ambulance with slight injuries.The wreck was floating upside down in the entrance of the port which was barred for shipping. One person was missing and divers were looking for him. Police and life boats of the Stena Line assisted in the search. At 3.30 p.m. the rescue service in Trelleborg suspended the search. The diving work was made more difficult due to ice in the water. The Coast Guard will assist with oil decontamination in the port. The case has now been handed over from the rescue service to the police. On Feb 18 at 2.35 p.m. the Danish crane ship 'Sanne A' (IMO: 8749602) left the port of Nyborg in order to raise the wreck. Report with video: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/skane/fartyg-har-kantrat-i-trelleborgs-ham