UK accident investigators have found that a Zodiac Maritime capesize suffered a hull breach due to “almost certainly” hitting an uncharted shoal in Indonesia last year.
The accident involving the 181,000-dwt Indian Partnership (built 2014) took place in the early hours of 23 April 2023 off the coast of Misool Island.
The UK-flag bulker suffered significant breaches to the hull, leading to water ingress into the duct keel and five ballast water tanks.
The preliminary assessment by the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) backed up a statement made at the time by the Eyal Ofer-controlled, UK-based group that the vessel hit an uncharted shoal in the Ceram Sea.
The investigation also raised questions about passage planning on the ship.
The Indian Partnership had set sail from Skardon River, Australia, on 19 April, bound for Qingdao in China with a cargo of bauxite.
As the vessel approached a three-mile gap between two charted shoal areas, it vibrated and dropped in speed.
The charted soundings indicated about a 60-metre depth and the vessel’s echo sounder recorded an under-keel clearance of just over 30 metres, MAIB said.
The bulker then started to list to starboard.
Voyage plan reversed
“The master initiated a damage assessment and with water ingress confirmed, the vessel was anchored in a sheltered offshore location,” the report added.
Following temporary repairs, the Indian Partnership proceeded to a shipyard where the relevant repairs were made to the ballast tanks and duct keel.
The MAIB said the initial southbound voyage had been completed without incident in a ballast condition.
The northbound voyage plan created on board the Indian Partnership was a reversal of the southbound track, it added.
“Not all the relevant information available on the electronic navigational chart (ENC) and associated Admiralty publications had been reviewed during the appraisal and planning stages for either voyage, resulting in a voyage plan with higher navigational risk and a route that passed close between two charted shoals,” the report said.
The vessel also did not follow the Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lanes.
These were not mandatory but were International Maritime Organization-adopted transit corridors through the archipelago.
Depth anomalies
The ENC covering the area of the grounding was marked with a Category Zone of Confidence (CATZOC) of C, indicating that depth anomalies might be expected.
The Indian Partnership’s safety management system documentation advised that mariners should exercise caution in CATZOC C areas.
“The focus on minor waypoint adjustments using larger scale ENCs omitted the appraisal of smaller scale ENCs and reduced the possibility of identifying potentially more viable navigable routes,” MAIB said.
The UK Hydrographic Office has since issued a notice to mariners to insert a reported depth of 18.3 metres in the position of the grounding.
Zodiac has been contacted for comment.
MAIB said the company has completed an internal investigation into the grounding and conducted an incident briefing with the vessel’s master.
Zodiac has also distributed a briefing note to its staff about the voyage plan review process and written to its fleet highlighting the lessons learned from the accident.
Video footage posted on YouTube at the time showed the ship down by the bow with a slight list to starboard, with some of the deck railings in the water.
The vessel had insurance cover from Steamship Mutual in the UK.
