Grounding of general cargo vessel CFL Performer

Location: Haisborough Sand off Norfolk, England.

Accident Investigation Report 21/2008

Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken and subsequent recommendations:

CFLPerformerReport.pdf

Annexes

Summary

At 1619 on 12 May 2008, the Netherlands registered dry cargo ship, CFL Performer, ran aground on Haisborough Sand off the east coast of England. The vessel was refloated 15 minutes later and continued on passage to Grimsby, River Humber, where she arrived the following morning. There were no injuries or damage to the vessel, and there was no pollution.

Safety Issues

  • ECDIS was the primary means of navigation, but none of the vessel’s bridge watchkeeping officers had been trained in its use
  • the route was not adequately checked for navigational hazards either when planned or when being monitored

Recommendations

A recommendation has been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to support a proposal under consideration by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the inclusion of ECDIS competences within the STCW Code, and to press for the training required to meet such competences to be fit for purpose and assessed by examination and performance. Further recommendations have been made to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Association of Marine Institutes (IAMI), the Association of Marine Educational and Training Institutes AsiaPacific Regions (AMETIAP) and the International Association for Marine Electronics Companies (CIRM) aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of both generic and equipment specific training in ECDIS. A recommendation has also been made to the International Chamber of Shipping to promote the need to preserve recorded information, including ECDIS information, following an accident. A further recommendation has been made to CFL Shipmanagement B.V. which seeks to ensure procedures are incorporated into its safety management system on the use of ECDIS.

This report was published on 17 December 2008.

Published 23 January 2015