The early arrival of a pilot boat caused a general cargoship's chief officer to leave the bridge unattended, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has revealed.
The unnamed small vessel was approaching its destination in autopilot mode, with the officer and a rating on the bridge.
The ship was expecting the pilot boat to arrive in 30 minutes, so the rating was sent to prepare the boarding point.
But after 15 minutes, the officer noticed the boat approaching, with the master and the rest of the crew not ready to receive it.
"The chief officer saw there was no other traffic in the area and, taking into consideration the short distance between the bridge and deck, he decided to nip down to meet the pilot himself," MAIB said in its latest safety digest.
He greeted the pilot and then ran back to the bridge.
"When the pilot eventually reached the bridge he saw an officer who looked very much like the officer who had met him on deck, a feeling that was amplified when the chief officer greeted him a second time," MAIB added.
"Feeling sure that the officer on the bridge was the same as the one who had greeted him on the deck, the pilot asked him a few questions and elicited a confession that the bridge had been left unmanned."
MAIB warned that the requirement to maintain a safe lookout is clear and should need no further emphasis.
"However, if a watchkeeper needs to leave the bridge for any reason, a competent person must be present on the bridge before the designated officer of the watch leaves it. No matter how genuine the reason or how short an absence, situations can and do change rapidly."
