An MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co container ship has been cleared of any blame in a collision that led to the sinking of a US-flagged fishing vessel.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the collision off the US east coast was a direct result of the mate who was keeping watch on the 621-gt trawler Tremont (built 1970) not maintaining a proper lookout and conducting maintenance on critical equipment while underway.
While the mate adjusted the Tremont’s gyrocompass to troubleshoot an error, the autopilot processed the heading feedback, causing the vessel to turn towards the 8,034-teu MSC Rita (built 2005).
“In this collision, maintenance of a gyrocompass was being conducted while the vessel was underway with its autopilot — which was receiving heading information from the gyrocompass — engaged,” the NTSB report stated.
Preoccupied with fixing the gyrocompass, the mate did not notice the MSC Rita on radar, nor did he hear the warning signals sounded on the container ship’s horn.
The rest of the Tremont’s crew were processing fish on the aft deck and did not notice that they were heading directly into the side of a large container ship.
The NTSB investigation found that watchkeepers on the MSC Rita took appropriate steps by sounding warning signals when it became apparent that the course the Tremont had turned onto would put both vessels in danger.
The MSC Rita’s second officer also altered course to avoid a collision. However, the NTSB determined that there was not enough time to manoeuvre out of the path of the Tremont, which then struck the side of the MSC Rita.
The collision happened shortly after midnight on 28 October 2022 near Chincoteague, Virginia. The MSC Rita continued its voyage after being informed by the Tremont that it was not in danger of sinking, but the trawler sank several hours later. Its crew was rescued by nearby fishing vessels and the US Coast Guard.
Damage to the MSC Rita was assessed at $1.5m, including buckled sideshell plating, distorted longitudinal framing and a 600 millimetre by 400 millimetre hole in the shell plating of the No 2 water ballast tank.
The Tremont was valued at $4m and its cargo of fish was assessed to be worth $750,000.
The NTSB emphasised that simultaneous operations in which two or more operations occur in the same place at the same time may interfere with each other.
“Managing simultaneous operations is an essential element of safety management and safe vessel operation,” it added.
“Before beginning work, mariners should identify hazards associated with working on one piece of equipment that may affect another, such as sensors feeding information to other equipment, and manage those risks to avoid unsafe conditions,”
Bad luck would continue to plague the MSC Rita after the collision. It suffered a major engine room fire while anchored off Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port in June 2023. One seafarer was reported killed.
Declared a total loss, the ship was reported sold for recycling in late November. Vessel tracking websites showed it as docked in Khalifa Port on Thursday.
