MCA has published Safety Flash 17/25

Click here to download the IMCA Safety Flash 17/25.

SWL plate dropped from crane block

No one observed the plate fall so the height cannot be confirmed; potentially the plate fell 125 metres, due to the height of hook when the plate was last observed. The plate was redundant as there is a clearly painted SWL on the hook block.

The vessel had been handed over from the shipbuilder less than a year before the incident. The shipbuilder installed the SWL plate on hooks although this was not included in the hook block specification drawings.

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Unsafe Lifting practices during dry dock

During vessel repairs in a dry-dock, an unsafe attempt was made by employees of a dry-dock contractor to lift 14 empty oil drums using only a web sling, without clamps, certified frames, or proper securing. The job was stopped immediately, and a stand-down was held with contractors and vessel crew to stress safe lifting practices for personnel health and vessel integrity.

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UK HSE: oil company fined after serious failure of elevator

Three workers had been descending in a lift located in one of the platform legs on the FPF-1 facility during a night shift on 10 December 2020 when the water started to flood into the lift before they reached the bottom of the shaft. The trio, who had been tasked with carrying out inspection work at the base of one of the facility’s sub-sea columns, were knee-deep in water by the time the lift was able to be stopped by the workers via the emergency button.

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Uncoordinated Emergency Shutdown due to pipe failure

During tanker cargo discharging operations at a terminal, all three cargo pumps (No. 1, 2, and 3) tripped simultaneously due to Emergency Shutdown (ESD) activation. The duty AB observed a minor leak during a routine pump room patrol and triggered an emergency stop for all cargo pumps without prior coordination with the Cargo Control Room (CCR). This led to an immediate halt in operations, although the situation was later assessed to be non-critical. No injuries were reported, and cargo discharge resumed after safety confirmation.

The duty AB had “stopped the job” by activating the ESD but did not communicate the situation with the CCR before acting.

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Handling alarms on the bridge – a DP incident

While a vessel was recovering scrap metal using an ROV and a crane, an alarm was triggered. The DPO attempted to silence it from the aft command panel and Bridge Alarm System without success. The DPO moved to the forward station (where the alarm originated) but was also unable to silence it there. While attempting to press the silence button on the forward command panel, he accidentally pressed the adjacent “Take” button on the DP panel.

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