C3/2005R M/S TRANSLANDIA, Collision with a Quay in the Port of Tallinn on 31.8.2005

The Finnish ro-ro passenger vessel TRANSLANDIA was on her way from Helsinki to Tallinn’s harbour and starting the manoeuvring for berthing to the pier number 3. The vessel was turned around in the basin with own engines and the Master on the port wing began to reverse the vessel towards the pier. He moved to the starboard wing’s manoeuvring place and left both propellers to the reverse position with the propeller pitch adjusted to four astern. On the starboards manoeuvre place he began the manoeuvring by adjusting the propeller pitch controls, but he forgot to activate the “command here” button. The vessel continued reversing towards the basin’s bottom with a speed of four knots. The bow of the vessel drifted to starboard because of north-west wind and the vessel drifted against the broadside of the SUPERSEACAT THREE, which was moored to the portside pier of the basin. Thereafter the vessel collided with the loading ramp of the quay. Both the vessel’s stern ramp and the pier got significant damages. SUPERSEACAT THREE got dents to her starboard plating but she remained seaworthy.

The direct cause of the accident was the unergonomic arrangement of the manoeuvring devices on the bridge. The user does not get clear observations in which manoeuvring place the command is activated. The probable consequential background factor was the Master’s psychophysical alertness, which was below average partly due to the working time arrangements, which were consequence of the tight time table.

After the accident the owner has made new rules to the Safety Management System (SMS) for the berthing, but has not considered necessary to change the manoeuvring controls so that this kind of lapses could be prevented in the future.

C3/2005M Report (pdf, 0.75 Mt)