Cayman Registry issues safety notice following accident
The Cayman Island Shipping Registry has issued a safety notice after an incident occurred onboard a registered superyacht. The incident occurred when a crewmember became trapped in a watertight door.…
The Cayman Islands Shipping Registry has published a safety notice following an accident that occurred onboard one of its flagged superyachts (>1000GT).
The accident itself was triggered by the failure of the controls for the vessel’s watertight doors, causing them to close. A crewmember in close proximity to one of the closing doors attempted to stop it by placing their leg in its path. With their leg trapped, and realising that the door was continuing to close, the crewmember called for assistance and had their leg released by a colleague using the local controls.
Fortunately the crewmember escaped unharmed, although such an outcome in these circumstances is rare and the likelihood of injury would have been significantly increased had the door been hydraulically powered.
Angus McLean, the Cayman Registry’s Principal Surveyor for Statutory Compliance and Casualty Investigation, explained the relevance of the case:
“We do not normally formally investigate ‘near misses’, although we do reserve the right to do so in cases where there are significant safety lessons to be learned. In this case, the dangers associated with sliding watertight doors are well known and documented.
“The Safety Flyer was intended as a reminder to the industry of these dangers. It was also an opportunity to highlight some of the specific safety issues involved and a reminder of the importance of onboard training, both on joining a vessel and as part of the operational routine.”
In response to the incident the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry issued the following guidance notes:
- Although watertight doors are essential for the safety of a vessel in the event of flooding, they can pose considerable risks to persons not familiar with their function and operation.
- Under no circumstances should any person attempt to pass through a watertight door that is in motion, or when the local alarm is activated.
- Never attempt to physically impede the closure of any watertight door. If it is necessary to override the closure, use the local control on your side of the door.
- Proper familiarisation training is essential for ensuring the ongoing safety of all onboard. Familiarisation training should never be considered as a ‘joining formality’ by either the onboard trainer or the trainee.
- The proper operation of watertight doors and the associated safety precautions should form part of the onboard training and drill regime. All crewmembers should be kept familiar with the operation of the watertight doors onboard and the safety precautions to be adopted.
Steve Monk runs Da Gama, a provider of bespoke training packages to superyacht crews. He said the incident highlighted by the Cayman Registry was indicative of the need for adequate crew training:
“As the Cayman Islands notice points out, watertight doors are there for an important reason. Their purpose is to protect life and potentially reduce the damage to a yacht in the event or imminent event of water ingress to the vessel. As such, they will have a considerable degree of force behind their method of closing to allow them to effectively cut through any obstructions as they close. To that end it doesn’t matter if the object is material or organic and for that reason personnel must remain clear of them. Although they may seem to close at a slow rate, this is not a cue to think you can get past them or place an object in the way to prevent their closure. It may have been that the crewmember mistook the watertight door for a fire door, some of which can be stopped by blocking their path, but even so best practise is not to block any closing door, particularly with any parts of your body you wish to retain.
“The safety and welfare of everyone on board ultimately falls to the Captain, however each member of the crew is responsible for ensuring they understand their duties and responsibilities. Familiarisation and continuation training to crew is an essential part of life at sea. Safety equipment like the watertight door is fitted for your safety in the event of an emergency but if you’ve never been shown how the systems on your vessel work or have forgotten how to operate them, you should ask your engineers or safety officer for a reminder. Better to ask the question now than reflect upon it from the hospital bed.”
Related Links
Cayman Registry Profile | Cayman Registry Website
Da Gama Profile | Da Gama Website
The accident itself was triggered by the failure of the controls for the vessel’s watertight doors, causing them to close. A crewmember in close proximity to one of the closing doors attempted to stop it by placing their leg in its path. With their leg trapped, and realising that the door was continuing to close, the crewmember called for assistance and had their leg released by a colleague using the local controls.
Fortunately the crewmember escaped unharmed, although such an outcome in these circumstances is rare and the likelihood of injury would have been significantly increased had the door been hydraulically powered.
Angus McLean, the Cayman Registry’s Principal Surveyor for Statutory Compliance and Casualty Investigation, explained the relevance of the case:
“We do not normally formally investigate ‘near misses’, although we do reserve the right to do so in cases where there are significant safety lessons to be learned. In this case, the dangers associated with sliding watertight doors are well known and documented.
“The Safety Flyer was intended as a reminder to the industry of these dangers. It was also an opportunity to highlight some of the specific safety issues involved and a reminder of the importance of onboard training, both on joining a vessel and as part of the operational routine.”
In response to the incident the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry issued the following guidance notes:
- Although watertight doors are essential for the safety of a vessel in the event of flooding, they can pose considerable risks to persons not familiar with their function and operation.
- Under no circumstances should any person attempt to pass through a watertight door that is in motion, or when the local alarm is activated.
- Never attempt to physically impede the closure of any watertight door. If it is necessary to override the closure, use the local control on your side of the door.
- Proper familiarisation training is essential for ensuring the ongoing safety of all onboard. Familiarisation training should never be considered as a ‘joining formality’ by either the onboard trainer or the trainee.
- The proper operation of watertight doors and the associated safety precautions should form part of the onboard training and drill regime. All crewmembers should be kept familiar with the operation of the watertight doors onboard and the safety precautions to be adopted.
Steve Monk runs Da Gama, a provider of bespoke training packages to superyacht crews. He said the incident highlighted by the Cayman Registry was indicative of the need for adequate crew training:
“As the Cayman Islands notice points out, watertight doors are there for an important reason. Their purpose is to protect life and potentially reduce the damage to a yacht in the event or imminent event of water ingress to the vessel. As such, they will have a considerable degree of force behind their method of closing to allow them to effectively cut through any obstructions as they close. To that end it doesn’t matter if the object is material or organic and for that reason personnel must remain clear of them. Although they may seem to close at a slow rate, this is not a cue to think you can get past them or place an object in the way to prevent their closure. It may have been that the crewmember mistook the watertight door for a fire door, some of which can be stopped by blocking their path, but even so best practise is not to block any closing door, particularly with any parts of your body you wish to retain.
“The safety and welfare of everyone on board ultimately falls to the Captain, however each member of the crew is responsible for ensuring they understand their duties and responsibilities. Familiarisation and continuation training to crew is an essential part of life at sea. Safety equipment like the watertight door is fitted for your safety in the event of an emergency but if you’ve never been shown how the systems on your vessel work or have forgotten how to operate them, you should ask your engineers or safety officer for a reminder. Better to ask the question now than reflect upon it from the hospital bed.”
Related Links
Cayman Registry Profile | Cayman Registry Website
Da Gama Profile | Da Gama Website
NEW: Sign up for SuperyachtNewsweek!
Get the latest weekly news, in-depth reports, intelligence, and strategic insights, delivered directly from The Superyacht Group's editors and market analysts.
Stay at the forefront of the superyacht industry with SuperyachtNewsweek
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
NEW: Sign up for
SuperyachtNewsweek!
Get the latest weekly news, in-depth reports, intelligence, and strategic insights, delivered directly from The Superyacht Group's editors and market analysts.
Stay at the forefront of the superyacht industry with SuperyachtNewsweek
