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6 Injury

Causes:and Third Oficers were working six on - six off watches,

The cadet had been told not to climb onto the trailer but with one AB assisting in the cargo operation and another AB
had apparently not understood the risks involved. It is with ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security) duty

essential to ensure that only crew members are involved in on the gangway. The loading plan was presented to the Chief

dificult and dangerous jobs and that all on board are made Oficer by the terminal supervisor and two gantry cranes
thoroughly aware of the risks.were planned to assist in the cargo operation. The Chief

Oficer presented the lashing plan to the terminal supervisor.

When a container was lifted from the quay the stevedores
Injury claims case study 4working at the front and rear of the container itted the twist

It was morning, the weather was good with a northerly lock to the container’s corners. When this was done the gantry

force 3-4 wind and the vessel was proceeding at 14 knots. crane lifted the container to its allocated position. At the
The Chief Engineer, First Engineer and Third Engineer were required location the crane operator adjusted the alignment

scheduled to carry out routine maintenance on one of the before setting down the container onto the container below.

ballast pumps. They dismantled the pump and removed the The twist locks automatically locked to the container below
shaft and impeller, while the nuts on the pump case had when it was put in position. At this time there were two

also been removed. This had been prepared in advance. The stevedores attaching lashings to containers and they were

shaft had been secured in a threaded hole with a chain to standing underneath the containers as they were being loaded.
an eyebolt. The engineers used a ive-ton SWL chain block, The Second and Third Oficers were carrying out the

which was secured in a monorail, and the shaft was raised handover of the cargo watch when they heard a scream. The

so the engineers could work on it more easily. The shaftoficers saw a stevedore lying on one of the hatch covers. They
was to be moved so another chain block could be attached. quickly gave him irst aid and raised the alarm. The Second

While waiting for the chain block the engineers began to Oficer went to the vessel’s hospital for the stretcher and the

inspect the shaft and rotated it a couple of times. Suddenly Master informed the terminal about the accident. About ten
the shaft dropped from the eyebolt and the Third Engineer’s minutes later the terminal’s own emergency response team

hand was severed. The First Engineer was also seriously arrived and gave the stevedore irst aid while waiting for an

injured and his hand was crushed.ambulance. The ambulance shortly arrived and the stevedore
The vessel diverted to the nearest harbour. Medical was taken to hospital. It took about 50 minutes from the time

assistance was established with an MRCC and a helicopter of the accident until the stevedore was in the ambulance.

was dispatched, which arrived three hours later. At the time The stevedore was conscious and had a gash on his head.
of the accident the injured crewmembers were wearing Close to him was a twist lock and his safety helmet which

safety shoes, gloves, boiler suits and helmets, but this was not broken, but was scratched. The gantry crane still had

obviously did not protect them in the circumstances they the container attached and the Second Oficer saw that one
encountered. It could not be completely established why of the twist locks was missing. The twist lock had dropped

the eyebolt was unscrewed. The lifting appliances were from a height of about eight metres.

certiied and approved for the lifted weight and they were
not damaged.Causes:

The twist locks had not been secured correctly by the
Causes:stevedores and the stevedore was standing underneath the

container, which is very unsafe.The engineers stated that they had secured the bolt tightly.

The immediate cause of the accident according to the

company’s own report suggests that the bolt unscrewed
Injuries to stevedores in the USAbecause it was not tightened correctly, the engineers were in

Over the years there have been a number of expensive cases a hurry and more than one person was rotating the shaft.
involving stevedores. Appendix (iii) Speciic issues in the
Because of the accident’s severity, the injured
USA from Keith Letourneau explains why this is, and what crewmembers could not continue working at sea.

issues a shipowner should consider.

Injury claims case study 5

The container vessel was berthed port side with cargo

operation commencing shortly after arrival. The weather
was good - clear with no discernable wind. During cargo

operation the Chief Oficer was in charge and the Second

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