M2013-03 M/V EGON W, death of a seaman in consequence of falling into water in the port of Vuoksi of 26 November 2013

A seaman who worked as a deckhand and cook on the EGON W died after he had fallen into water in the Port of Vuoksi in Imatra on 26.11.2013 at approx. 20.00. When the accident took place, the seaman was on the quay letting go of the stern line. The line had been lifted off the bollard, and the intention was not to let it get wet when pulling it onto the vessel. The man holding the line on the quay was therefore bringing it towards the vessel while the seaman working on the afterdeck was pulling it in. The line got stuck to the rugged structures of the quayside, and when the seaman working on the quay was loosening the line, he fell into water.

The seaman was not able to get a tight grip of the lifebuoy thrown to him and sank quickly under the surface of the water. The rescue department divers alarmed to the scene found the man, and he was recovered from the water approx. half an hour after he had fallen in. Resuscitation attempts gave no result. The effects of the so-called cold shock were probably a contributory factor in the drowning.

Findings of the investigation

The fact that the line got stuck to the rugged quay structures resulted in the need to work right on the edge of the quay, which played a part in the accident. Contributing factors consisted of slipperiness, darkness and shadiness and possibly also of poor pair work as both seamen handled the trapped line simultaneously.

Dangers connected to working on the quay were not anticipated in the situation, and this led to the accident. In spite of different risks, working on the quay was probably considered to be similar to deck work. Lifejackets and other floatation garments were not used.

Man over board situations in port were not taken into consideration in the safety management system of the vessel, and there was not any ready operations model for them. The vessel’s life-boat could not be used as it was on the quay-side of the vessel.

Safety recommendations

In order to prevent similar accidents from happening, the Safety Investigation Authority recom-mends that

  • the Finnish Transport Safety Agency together with the Finnish Shipowners’ Association take measures to improve, both nationally and internationally, the risk management in connection with work carried out by vessel personnel in ports and to improve preparedness with regards to accidents taking place in ports. These measures are recommended because the character of such work and of possible accidents taking place in ports differs from work carried out and accidents taking place at sea.
  • the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health together with Regional State Administrative Agencies, the Finnish Port Association and the Finnish Port Operators Association take measures to make port authorities and operators pay attention to the monitoring of the condition of port structures and to guide port authorities and operators in developing self-induced control regarding the safety of routes and passageways as well as moving around and working.

Published 3.10.2014