MAIB Investigation report - Norman Arrow

Published 19 May 2011

Key issues:

• The HSC was involved in two accidents which resulted from the vessel's inability to manoeuvre in a confined area in strong wind conditions without tug assistance;
• The assessment of the vessel's operating limitations did not indicate the potential difficulty of manoeuvring such light-displacement, high-sided craft at slow speed in strong winds, or identified when tugs must be used;
• The ability of the vessel to manoeuvre safely in confined areas was hampered by the poor near-field visibility from the bridge, inadequate communications and poor bridge ergonomics;
• The CCTV system provided did not adequately mitigate the limited visibility from the bridge, which prevented the bridge team from seeing objects in close proximity to the vessel.

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MAIB Safety Bulletin 2/2011

Issued 12 May 2011

A second Safety Bulletin is issued following the death of a seafarer in Royal Portbury Docks, Bristol when a rescue boat fell almost 29m when its fall wire parted. The Bulletin highlights a Product Awareness Notice issued by Umoe Schat-Harding Equipment A.S. regarding the testing and periodic replacement of an inductive proximity switch that did not operate.

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