A Norwegian cargoship ended up being scrapped after grounding off Scotland last year, despite a warning of imminent danger from a fishing vessel.
The 4,293-dwt Kaami (built 1994), operated by Misje Rederi, hit the Sgeir Graidach shoal in the Little Minch on the north-western coast in the early morning of 23 March, 2020.
The crew were evacuated by helicopter and the vessel was refloated by salvors on 4 May.
There were no injuries or pollution, but the Kaami was declared a constructive total loss and sent for recycling.
The warning came from the trawler Ocean Harvest at 1.35am local time.
The boat's watchkeeper contacted the Kaami by VHF radio to say the cargo vessel was heading into "shoal waters".
The Kaami's chief officer responded promptly to the call, and thanked the Ocean Harvest's watchkeeper for the information, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said.
Course altered too late
The officer confirmed that he understood and that he would be altering course in the next few minutes.
Soon after, he used the autopilot to alter course 10 degrees to starboard, in accordance with the voyage plan.
At 1.41am, two heavy impacts were felt and the Kaami came to a stop.
The MAIB found that the crew's voyage planning procedures and passage monitoring did not identify the grounding hazard, even after the verbal warning.
Training for the electronic chart display and information system did not provide the crew of the Kaami with the skills and knowledge necessary to use the system safely, the report added.
"Although manned in accordance with the flag state requirements, the onboard operation did not allow adequate opportunity for the chief officer to plan the voyage and for his plan to be checked and verified by a second member of the bridge team as required by the vessel's safety management system," the MAIB noted.
The master instead relied on previous experience of navigating the Little Minch, leading to an International Maritime Organization-recommended route not being used.
"It is probable that the chief officer was also suffering from the effects of fatigue," the investigation found.
Misje Rederi has been recommended to review the number of watchkeepers on its vessels with the aim of minimising hazards associated with tiredness.
