A Turkish tanker under the control of a tired and ill pilot left a UK jetty severely damaged, an accident report has found.
The 11,253-dwt product carrier Ali Ka (built 202) hit Oikos Jetty 2 on the River Thames in the early hours of 25 October 2022.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the Malta-flag ship made contact with the westernmost section of the structure, causing minor damage to its hull.
The tanker was departing its berth under compulsory Port of London Authority (PLA) pilotage and without a tug in attendance.
The Ali Ka then grounded close to the pier. Two tugs were deployed and the Ali Ka was successfully recovered to Oikos Jetty 1.
No one was injured and there was no pollution, but it took 11 months for the Oikos facility to return to pre-accident capacities.
The report found control of the Ali Ka was lost because the pilot’s plan missed key information and was compromised by incoherence in the documentation.
Control was also lost because there was no tug used, and the pilot was “highly likely to have been severely fatigued”, MAIB said.
“The master/pilot exchange was ineffective and did not result in the bridge team fully participating in an appropriately modified and agreed plan,” the agency added.
Several interventions were made to change the plan, but none was effective, and no one dealt well with the challenges presented, the report concluded.
Other accidents ignored
Previous accidents at the site were not recognised as warnings, MAIB added.
The pilot was 60 years old, had high blood pressure and had been undergoing long-term specialist treatment following the removal of a kidney in 2016.
The PLA employee also had an infected back cyst, affecting his ability to sleep.
MAIB said the pilot “believed that six hours of sleep a night was manageable and, while they found the duty roster tiring, had become used to this over the 22 years they had worked at PLA”.
“The PLA and Oikos Storage risk management processes did not combine to mitigate the risk of vessel collision with shore infrastructure,” MAIB added.
The PLA was recommended to conduct collaborative risk assessments of all high-risk berths, as well as review the risks to safe pilotage from pilot fatigue.
The ship was managed by Transka Tankers, part of Akbasoglu Holding in Istanbul, and owned by North Star Tankers of Malta.
Transka Tankers was recommended to review and revise its Bridge Resource Management training to include agreeing and assigning roles and responsibilities, and support to embarked pilots.
The company has been contacted for comment.
