Collision Causes Crane Collapse – MAIB Report Published

The moment of impact in Jebel Ali in Mat 2017  Photographs -MAIB

Date 19 October 2018

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch  (MAIB) has released their report on the heavy contact with the quay and two shore cranes by CMA CGM Centaurus during its arrival under pilatoge at Jebel Ali. The accident in May 2017 resulted in the collapse of a shore crane and 10 injuries, including one serious injury, to shore personnel.

The report contains details of what happened, the subsequent actions taken and recommendation made.

In their summary MAIB state:

“At 1137 on 4 May 2017, the UK registered container ship CMA CGM Centaurus made heavy contact with the quay and two shore cranes while under pilotage during its arrival at Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. The accident resulted in the collapse of a shore crane and 10 injuries, including one serious injury, to shore personnel.

The accident occurred because the ship was unable to attain a sufficiently high rate of turn into a basin in preparation for berthing. The pilot was unaware of the ship’s speed, and the ship’s bridge team were uncertain of the maximum speed required to complete the turn safely.

There was no agreed plan for the intended manoeuvre, and therefore no shared mental model between the bridge team and the pilot. Consequently, the pilot was operating in isolation without the support of the bridge team, allowing the pilot’s decision-making to become a single system point of failure.

The pilot’s performance was focused on efficiency, which influenced his decision to turn the ship into the basin without ensuring that the manoeuvre was conducted at a sufficiently slow speed to enable its safe completion.”

In conclusion they state that safety recommendations shall in no case create a presumption of blame or liability.

The full report can be found on this MAIB link

Source MAIB