Grounding due to lack of attention from the pilot

Published on 20 Jun 2023

The incident:

A container ship departed Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland en route to Norfolk, Virginia with a Pilot onboard. At approximately 1950 hrs, the 3rd Officer took over the watch, he was accompanied by the Deck Cadet. The Master had left the bridge to have dinner. The bridge team comprised of Pilot, 3/O, Deck Cadet, and an AB who was at the helm.

At 2017 hrs. the ship passed a charted waypoint where a course alteration was required from 161 degrees to 180 degrees. The pilot was seen drafting an e-mail at that time. The OOW did not remind the pilot about the missed alteration due to the fear of interrupting him. No order was given to alter the course and the helmsman maintained the previously ordered course of 161 degrees. At 2018, the ship grounded outside the Craighill channel, east of Lighted buoy 16.

Consequences:

Damage to property
Possible pollution
Delays
Loss of reputation of the company

Causes:

Failure to maintain situational awareness and attention while navigating:

- Overreliance on a singular piece of equipment while navigating. The pilot was using his own handheld device for navigation without cross checking with ship’s navigation equipment

Distraction / personal task during navigation - The pilot was on phone calls and drafting an e-mail Inadequate bridge resource management:

- Master or C/O not on bridge during pilotage

- Lack of assertiveness on part of the OOW to challenge the pilot due to the cultural difference and seniority in designation

Inadequate communication – There was no direct communication between the OOW and pilot when the pilot missed the important course alteration which led to the grounding

Lessons learnt:

Strictly comply with the Company's policy prohibiting the use of cell phones and other distractions on the bridge during navigation
Ensure continuous information exchange between the bridge team and pilot for the duration of the pilotage
The Master / OOW remains in-charge of navigation even in the presence of pilot. Hence, it is important to question pilot’s decision when in doubt
Share the incident to all fleet ships as a learning experience

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