[Peetwo]

Chalk & Cheese: NTSB the exemplar 1st World TSI v ATSB led by a Popinjay. -  

Another for the C&C series, 1st from the NTSB YouTube pages we witness NTSB's Chairperson Jennifer Homendy efficiently oversighting/Chairing the Investigative Hearing into the East Palestine train derailment:

That hearing went for nearly 10 hours and yet Homendy still had the energy and professional integrity to hold a post briefing press conference...  

 

  

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy will answer the media's questions on the public community meeting in East Palestine, Ohio, on June 21, 2023.

Now compare that to this pre-prepared bollocks final report presser, into a Marine accident investigation conducted into a GBR vessel grounding incident. that occurred over 2 years and 5 months ago:

Voyage planning errors, spurious false alarms contribute to cargo ship grounding



Key points

• Cargo ship was using newly planned route when it grounded on Harrington Shoal off Cape York;
  
• Route had not been properly reviewed or approved, and planning tool contained waypoint data errors;
  
• Duty operator monitoring vessel traffic in area was experiencing sustained elevated workload due to technical fault triggering abnormally high number of erroneous alarms and alerts.
  

The use of a draft voyage planning tool which included waypoint data errors plus an ongoing technical fault with the vessel monitoring and surveillance system for the Great Barrier Reef contributed to a cargo ship’s grounding on a shoal, an ATSB investigation details.

The 81-metre general cargo ship Trinity Bay grounded on Harrington Shoal, a charted feature with a depth of 0.9 metres north-west of Harrington Reef, on the morning of 19 January 2021 while conducting a regular weekly passage from Thursday Island to Cairns. Fortunately, the ship sustained only minor hull damage (some dents and paint stripping), with no injuries or pollution reported, and it was refloated on the rising tide.

The investigation report details that in an effort to address a deficiency identified during a recent internal audit, which required the use of approved routes and waypoints, the ship’s master had used a draft passage planning tool that was being trialled by the operator to plan new routes.

The planned routes from the planning tool were entered into the Trinity Bay’s electronic chart system (ECS), a navigation information system which displayed the vessel’s position and relevant nautical chart data. However, the ECS was not approved for use as the ship’s primary means of navigation and did not possess automatic route safety checking functions.

“Errors in the planning tool meant the new route took Trinity Bay dangerously close to the charted danger of Mid Rock, and then about an hour later directly over the charted danger of Harrington Shoal, where the ship grounded,” ATSB Director Transport Safety Stuart Macleod said.

“The investigation found the new passage plan was not independently verified by another of the ship’s deck watchkeeping officers, as required by the operator’s procedures, and the planned routes were entered into the electronic chart system instead of being annotated on the ship’s paper charts. In accordance with chart carriage regulations, these paper charts were the ship’s primary means of navigation, and were marked with the ship’s established previously-used routes.

“Consequently, the dangers on the newly planned route were not identified, and the monitoring of the ship’s passage was ineffective in identifying these dangers.”

The ship’s operator, Sea Swift, subsequently removed Trinity Bay’s electronic chart system from service and advised the ATSB that it was investigating the fitting of electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS) on its ships. ECDIS is an approved navigational chart and information system that can be used in place of paper charts.

“This investigation highlights how the development and use of a detailed passage plan in accordance with the accepted principles of passage planning remains essential to safe navigation,” Mr Macleod said.
“Passage planning should be thoroughly appraised, with the route laid out and independently checked on the ship’s primary means of navigation, and then effectively monitored.”

Mr Macleod said the ATSB’s investigation also found that at the time of the grounding an ongoing technical fault in the REEFVTS (Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait vessel traffic service) monitoring and surveillance system, meant the duty operator at the VTS Centre in Townsville was being presented with an abnormally high number of erroneous alerts and alarms. REEFVTS monitors and communicates with ships to ensure safe and efficient navigation in Torres Strait and the inner route of the Great Barrier Reef.

Among the genuine alarms received during that timeframe were warnings as Trinity Bay sailed close to Mid Rock, and again as it approached Harrington Shoal.

“Alerts associated with Trinity Bay were acknowledged by the duty operator but not followed up, due to the operator experiencing a sustained period of elevated workload, combined with a high level of expectancy that the ship was not at risk, as it frequently transited the area,” Mr Macleod said.

“Between the duty operator commencing their shift in Townsville at 0600, and when they were alerted by the ship’s master of the grounding at 0822, that operator received over 80 alerts from the REEFVTS monitoring and surveillance system, of which at least 42 were false, generated as a result of the system fault.”

Maritime Safety Queensland, which operates REEFVTS, has since implemented a software update for the system, reducing the incidence of false alarms.

Further, the reporting area covered by REEFVTS was split into two, a north and a south area operated respectively from Townsville and Gladstone, with a separate operator responsible for each area.
Read the ATSB’s report: Grounding of Trinity Bay, Harrington Shoal, Queensland on 19 January 2021

Publication Date
22/06/2023

What is it with Popinjay's crew? Why can't they just rely on the final report speaking for itself? I also note that in marine world investigations the ATSB are not obliged to have prelim or interim reports on the anniversary of the incident...  

Of a side interest was AMSA's involvement in this incident. From the AMSA monthly incident web pages for January 2021 there is one very short on detail entry for a vessel grounding in QLD:

QLD/Class 1 – Passenger: Vessel ran aground. Ballast water was pumped out to reduce draught on the flood tide and the vessel re-floated. No damage, pollution or injuries reported.

For more detail you have to refer to the ATSB report:

..The master established that there was no immediate danger to the ship and that there were no visible signs of damage or pollution.[13] The ship’s bow appeared to be clear of the shoal which was composed mostly of sand.

The master asked the chief engineer to commence deballasting[14] and called the ship’s designated person ashore (DPA)[15] to advise them of the grounding. At the request of the DPA, the master sounded the ship’s tanks to confirm the integrity of the hull and sounded the surrounding waters to establish depths around the ship. The DPA also instructed the master to notify REEFVTS of the situation while they notified the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

At 0822, the master called the duty REEFVTS operator using a mobile phone and informed them that Trinity Bay was aground on Harrington Shoal. The REEFVTS operator, who was unaware of the grounding, notified their supervisor and the regional harbour master for Cairns.

At about 0950, the second mate, positioned at the bow, advised the master that the ship appeared to be moving with the rising tide. The master used the bow thruster to confirm that the bow was moving freely and then engaged astern propulsion (about 25% of available RPM), which resulted in the ship moving astern.

The ship continued to make sternway off the shoal while the master used the bow thruster to control the ship’s head and, by 1010, Trinity Bay was clear of Harrington Shoal. At about 1035 the master anchored the ship about 2 miles to the south-south-west of the shoal, just inside the western boundary of the designated shipping area (DSA).[16]

AMSA subsequently instructed the ship manager to ensure the ship remained at anchor until a hull inspection had been completed. Trinity Bay remained at anchor overnight while the crew undertook regular soundings of the ship’s accessible double bottom and wing tanks to confirm there was no water ingress.

Bizarrely there doesn't appear to be any follow up, nor is there any reference to AMSA in the findings or safety issues/actions. This could be because the coastal waters of QLD fall within the bailiwick of the State Marine regulator MSQ but we also know of AMSA's aversion to dealing with DCV issues.

That's what makes another incident, that occurred 4 months later to the same vessel Trinity Bay, that AMSA apparently did to take issue with and investigate...

Sea Swift vessel suspended after major fuel leak

3 May 2021 | Matt Nicholl



The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has suspended MV Trinity Bay, the main barge for Weipa, pending a full investigation into the cause of the diesel spill, which leaked into the living quarters on the vessel.

“AMSA is investigating a serious incident involving the cargo supply ship, Trinity Bay,” a spokesperson for the marine watchdog said on Friday.

“Shortly before 7am Thursday it was reported to AMSA that Trinity Bay suffered an internal fuel oil (diesel) spill.

“AMSA understands that about 1000 litres of fuel was spilled into crew accommodation quarters, with a smaller amount – about 20 litres – being lost overboard in Cairns.

“Thankfully there were no reported injuries to crew who were on board at the time.

“AMSA has serious concerns about the ship’s operations, and the potential risk it poses to the safety of mariners and Queensland’s precious marine environments.

“AMSA has prohibited the ship from being operated while its investigation into the incident is underway and rectification action is undertaken by the operator.”

The major incident was the worst possible start for new Sea Swift chief executive officer Rochelle Macdonald, who began last Monday, slightly earlier than first advertised.

“I can confirm that an incident occurred on Sea Swift vessel MV Trinity Bay while it was docked at Cairns Port,” she said in a statement.

“At 6.30am, Sea Swift staff were transferring fuel from the cargo to the bunker tank on the vessel when a volume of fuel leaked into crew rooms and the galley.

“The vessel is in no danger, there were no injuries, and the fuel leak has not caused major damage to the vessel.”

Dr Macdonald said Sea Swift had put plans in place to ensure food and essential freight would still arrive as normal and on time on Thursday Island and Horn Island (Sunday), and in the NPA and Weipa (Monday), although Cape York Weekly has been told the Weipa barge will not arrive on Monday.

“The incident has however led to a five-day delay for general, non-time critical cargo from Cairns to Weipa due to the necessary clean-up operation on the MV Trinity Bay,” she said.

“These items will now arrive in Weipa on Saturday, May 8, with all services departing Cairns back to normal by next Friday (May 7).

“We are also in the process of securing additional capacity to move the current backlog of vehicles and recreational vessels.

“We anticipate this service will occur within the next two weeks.”

Cape York Weekly understands Sea Swift was forced to ring a number of barge operators trying to obtain a vessel to help with the freight backlog.

MV Trinity Bay is expected to be out of action for at least a fortnight, according to sources.

“I would like to apologise to everyone affected by this delay to our general cargo service,” Dr Macdonald said.

“We have notified customers of these changes to our schedule via email, and our website is being updated accordingly.

“Sea Swift has immediately launched a full investigation, and we are working closely with the AMSA to find the cause of this incident.”

Freight times had already been compromised by Sea Swift’s inability to work on public holidays.

Vessels that would normally depart on Mondays were delayed until Tuesday because Sea Swift won’t pay the public holiday rates.

It means that groceries destined for Weipa arrive on Friday night instead of Thursday, forcing local supermarket workers to scramble to get the produce on shelves.

As there is no Sunday trading, the stock can only be sold on Saturday and the following Tuesday, a result of back-to-back Monday public holidays.

   
 
MTF...P2