The chief officer (C/O) of a GEFO tanker died in a fall after trying to save an accommodation ladder from damage, an accident report has revealed.
The unnamed French national, 42, drowned in Hull, UK, flag state Luxembourg's Administration of Techical Investigations (AET) found.
He was working alone on a platform on the 6,600-dwt Nabucco (built 2006) on 26 June, 2017.
Despite intense search actions, his body was only discovered on 5 July, 30km downstream.
The tanker was alongside Associated British Ports' (ABP) terminal 1 jetty in Saltend.
AET said an accommodation ladder was established for high-water situations.
At around 22:50 that night, the means of access were required to be changed as the tide was on the ebb and the ladder needed to be stowed away.
AET found that the officer had not initially planned to stow it himself.
But a crewman who had been assigned to the task had not yet begun, leading the officer to evaluate that it should be done right away.
Fatal decision
This "may be attributed to the increasing risk of the accommodation ladder getting damaged due to the ebb tide. This could induce additional workload to get the damaged ladder stowed and eventually repaired," AET said.
The vessel was running late because loading had to be performed with its own cranes instead of the cranes on the jetty that were inoperative.
Following an inspection, the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said: “The victim was not wearing a safety harness or lifejacket and no working aloft permit was issued.”
The AET report said: "Tiredness of the C/O, combined with an increased workload and stress level due to time constraints may have played a contributing role in the accident.
"Safety procedures defined in the operator’s SMS were not adhered to by the crew at different levels of responsibility, impeding the safety on board the Nabucco and weakening the safety culture."
German owner GEFO has since highlighted the need for suitable safety equipment to be used during jobs outside or in the vicinity of railings.
It has also revised instructions for rigging the gangway and accommodation ladder.
And the entire fleet has been supplied with additional inflatable lifejackets, including spares.
