IMCASF - Jun 17
IMCASF - Jun 17
IMCASF - Jun 17
These flashes summarise key safety matters and incidents, allowing wider dissemination of lessons learnt from them. The information below has been
provided in good faith by members and should be reviewed individually by recipients, who will determine its relevance to their own operations.
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provide, in good faith, safety information for the benefit of members and do not necessarily constitute IMCA guidance, nor represent the official view of the
Association or its members.
The following incidents have no common theme, though as far as possible, broadly similar issues are grouped
together. This safety flash includes four incidents relating to lifting and rigging equipment, chains and towing
equipment; an incident relating to the failure of a large casting and the discovery of a huge leak in the fresh water
system on a vessel.
During a bell run at 90msw a task was completed and the diving support vessel (DSV) needed to relocate to a
pipeline end. The move was started with the diver on the bell clump. He called an ‘all stop’ when he saw the wire
rope and four-part lifting bridle approaching the bell.
The vessel move was stopped and a new path to the next job was plotted. The DSV was relocated safely and work
continued. There were no injuries and there was no damage to equipment.
A stud bolt 3½” x 1015mm was dropped to the seabed from the vessel side whilst attempts were being made to
secure it to a device being prepared for subsea use. Dive control immediately alerted divers on the seabed, who
were working on a pipeline flange 16m away from the drop point. The divers cleared out from the job and the bolt
landed without harming anyone or anything.
Subsequently a safety stand-down was held at the next bell turnaround. It was arranged for further items to be
deployed in a dedicated tool basket.
DROPS online have published a handy two-page reference on subsea dropped objects which can be found here.
2 Near Miss: Broken Chain on Self Propelled Hyperbaric Life Boat (SPHL) Recovery Rigging
What happened?
A vessel had used both anchors whilst waiting for 3 days off the coast. Both chains were fouled and could not be
cleared by the vessel. External assistance was provided but owing to the weather and sea conditions, the anchors
could not be cleared, and both chains had to be cut. Attempts at retrieval of the anchors from the seabed were
unsuccessful. The vessel lost both her anchors with one length of cable on the port and two lengths of cable on the
starboard side anchor.
During anchoring and anchorage time, wind speed was less than 15 knots. There were strong diurnal tidal currents
approximately 2.5 knots at the anchorage area.
Both anchors had to be cut free and arrangements made for the vessel to go alongside for repairs. The vessel was
off hire for 12 days.
An anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel, whilst towing a barge, encountered heavy seas (wind on the beam,
25 knots, waves, 2m) and began to roll heavily. In order to avoid damage to the barge, the Master decided to slack
off the towing wire by 10m. As soon as the vessel and barge came to calmer water, speed was picked up to 6-8
knots. Then, for other reasons the Master had to reduce the speed of the vessel again. The momentum of the
barge was such that it continued to move in such a way that the towing line caught the open hatch of the emergency
exit from the Engine Room, which had been kept open at sea.
Damage was reported to the steering gear hydraulic ram foundation brackets connecting the ram to the structure
of the vessel. The foundation bracket casting failed.
Daily soundings of fresh water tanks on a vessel revealed that they were emptying fast – 35 tonnes over 24 hours.
A thorough check was conducted of all cabins including the hospital and cabins not currently in use, and no leak or
open tap was discovered. Engineers checked all possible valves on the system for leakage, and made a double
check of all tanks, which when compared with the previous sounding, found that there was no change in reading –
the water was gone; it was not an error of measurement.
What went wrong? Investigation and findings
It was noticed in due course that water was flowing continuously from an overboard discharge on the port side.
The galley, laundry room and mess room were thoroughly checked once again. A bain-marie (the device used to
keep food warm at the serving point in the mess) inlet and discharge valve were left open. Since there was no
overflow from the bain-marie, the leak had not been detected at first.
A poster with location of valves for bain-marie with marked close/open position was displayed in the mess room
and the operation of the valves explained to mess crew.
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