Grounding and sinking of tug Vanguard
Location: Off the west coast of Scotland.
Completed PE Summary: Vanguard
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Merchant Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Vanguard |
| Registered Owner/Manager | Carmet Tug Co.Ltd |
| Port of Registry | Liverpool |
| Flag | UK |
| Type | Tug |
| Built | 1965 |
| Classification Society | Lloyds Register |
| Length Overall | 38.71m |
| Gross Tonnage | 296 |
| Date/Time | 07/09/2004, 1636 |
| Location of Incident | Scottish coastal waters |
| Incident Type | Grounding |
| Injuries/Fatalities | None |
| Damage/Pollution | Constructive total loss |
Synopsis
A 39-metre sea-going tug was taking a familiar passage on the north-coast of a Scottish island in order to rendezvous with a vessel. During the passage the skipper decided to take an inshore route between the island and some rocks and shoal patches that were a few cables offshore. This was unnecessary, as there was plenty of time to follow the normal route that took the vessel well clear of all dangers. The skipper did not know his precise position and the vessel grounded on a submerged rock, which was to port of the track he had intended to take. He put the engine astern and was able to get clear. The passage was resumed, but a new course was chosen to pass well clear of dangers.
The engine room flooded and about half an hour later the vessel was deliberately grounded on a gently rocky shore. The crew were evacuated safely to boats, but after a while the vessel listed over and was a constructive total loss.
Action taken
To prevent a similar accident occurring in the future, the master was recommended to undertake the following on any ship that he served on or owned:
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Ensure the principles of safe passage planning are applied whenever the vessel is at sea.
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Ensure that a designated lookout is posted on the bridge at night and during the day when passing close to navigational hazards.A lookout should also be posted during the day in poor visibility or heavy traffic conditions or at other times when the operational/navigational demands on the officer of the watch warrants it.
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Undertake a small vessels navigation and radar course. The training should include instruction in modern navigational techniques, such as parallel indexing.