Shift of timber deck cargo on general cargo vessel Scot Ranger during heavy weather

Location: Off Cornwall, England.

• From: Marine Accident Investigation Branch
• Published: 23 January 2015

• Vessel type: Merchant vessel 100 gross tons or over
• Report type: Completed preliminary assessment
• Date of occurrence: 12 January 2002

Completed PE Summary: Scot Ranger

A short summary of the accident and action taken:

	Merchant Vessel/Accident Details
Vessel Name	Scot Ranger
Registered Owner/Manager	Intrada Ships Management Ltd
Port of Registry	Inverness
Flag	UK
Type	Single deck general cargo vessel
Built	1997
Construction	Steel
Length overall	80.2m
Gross tonnage	2260
Date	01/12/2002
Location of Incident	English coastal waters
Incident Type	Cargo handling failure and listing
Persons Onboard	6 crew
Injuries/Fatalities	None
Damage/Pollution	Minor damage

Synopsis

Shift of timber deck cargo in heavy weather leading to a hazardous angle of list. The starboard timber rail, a steel structure restraining the timber deck cargo, failed during the accident.

Action taken:

The owners were recommended to ensure the following:

• The strengthening of the timber rails on the ships managed by them, if, after carrying out strength calculations the Classification Society indicate that this is necessary

• The friction between timber deck cargoes and hatch covers is maximised and steel on steel interfaces are avoided if possible

Published 23 January 2015