Safety Call After Man Loses Foot

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its investigation report into the serious injury of a crew member on board Julia N at Port Headland, Western Australia on 28 June 2014.

On that day, the 327m long bulk carrier Julia N entered the port of Port Hedland, Western Australia, and was manoeuvred alongside Anderson Point number two berth by the pilot with the assistance of four tugs.

At 1521, when it had been confirmed that the ship was in position, the pilot called the master of the tug at the stern of the ship to come in and retrieve its tow line. When the tug was in position, the pilot asked Julia N’s master to instruct the aft mooring team (second mate and two seamen) to let go the tug’s tow line.

As the tow line was retrieved, a seaman’s right leg somehow became entangled in the messenger line. He was then dragged about 4m across the deck and into the rollers of the fairlead. When his legs entered the fairlead the messenger line came under tension and it severed the seaman’s right foot.

At 1644, the helicopter departed with the injured seaman. He was taken to the Port Hedland Hospital, where he was provided with medical treatment.

Safety message

Mooring operations are often seen as a routine task but contain dangers that are often not realized until it is too late. As they cannot be directly observed, the forces that can be exerted on mooring and towing lines, even by their own weight, are often underestimated by those working around them.

Serious injury is likely when there is an incident during tug and mooring operations, but the likelihood of such an occurrence can be managed through effective risk assessment, training, supervision, communications and good housekeeping – both prior to and during berthing operations.

The ATSB’s SafetyWatch highlights the broad safety concerns that come from its investigation findings, and from the occurrence data reported by industry. One of the ATSB’s current SafetyWatch concerns relates to marine work practices. Readers are encouraged to examine the information and experiences presented and relate those to the context of their own duties.