A master and Chinese shipping company have pleaded guilty to safety failings in Australia after a pilot was seriously injured in a fall.
The captain of the 12,200-dwt general cargo ship Boshi 58 (built 2006) and owner Fu Ye Shipping admitted failing to ensure the pilot transfer ladder was properly maintained.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, on behalf of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), said the master was fined AUD 5,300 ($3,450) and the company AUD 32,000.
On 25 May last year, a mooring master providing pilot services on the Panama-flag vessel fell into the sea when the pilot ladder broke during the transfer.
The prosecution established that the ladder had not been checked regularly and had been improperly stored, leading to degradation to the extent that it became unsafe, AMSA said.
This is the second successful prosecution for the Director of Public Prosecutions and AMSA over a pilot ladder failure that resulted in injury to the pilot.
Last June, AAL Dampier Navigation Co was fined AUD 30,500 for a similar offence.
AMSA executive director of operations Michael Drake said these were preventable accidents that placed the lives of seafarers at significant and unacceptable risk.
“Pilots rely on a ship’s master and crew to properly maintain, stow and rig pilot ladders, and neglecting a pilot ladder can have deadly consequences,” he added.
Drake also highlighted common issues with pilot ladders, including times when they have fallen short of accommodation ladders when used in combination, unsafe use of shackles and failure to regularly inspect, maintain and store pilot ladders appropriately.
“If you own, operate or are the master of a ship, the safety of everyone using the pilot ladder is in your responsibility,” he said.
