FRENCH shipping giant cma CGM is revising steering guidance across its fleet after a collision with a navigation beacon in Melbourne's Yarra River, reports Mirage News of Wolongong, New South Wales.
Departing Melbourne on under the direction of a pilot, the 5,700-TEU CMA CGM Puccini contacted the navigational beacon after swinging wide in a turn when its rudder began responding erratically to helm orders, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's report.
The ship was slowed and returned towards the middle of the channel, before being stabilised with tug assistance and then conducted to nearby Webb Dock. While the ship sustained minor hull paint damage, the beacon was badly damaged.
An ATSB investigation concluded that the erratic steering was the result of a hydraulic bypass valve being left open by crew after an Australian Maritime Safety Authority port state control inspection the day before.
'Notably, the manipulation of steering hydraulics in this way was not required for the demonstration required for the inspection,' said Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell.
'However, the ship's responsible officers had an incomplete understanding of how the steering gear operated, and therefore incorrectly configured the steering system hydraulics.'
The ATSB's investigation identified the risk of this happening was heightened by ambiguous language in CMA CGM's fleetwide safety management system steering gear procedures.
Specifically, the procedures only referred to 'steering gear failure', instead of using common industry terms, such as 'emergency steering' and 'local steering'. In addition, terminology within the guidance was not clearly and explicitly defined.
As a result of the investigation, CMA CGM has advised the ATSB that its fleetwide 'steering gear failure' procedure will be amended and titled the 'emergency steering procedure', and improved for clarity.
SeaNews Turkey
Departing Melbourne on under the direction of a pilot, the 5,700-TEU CMA CGM Puccini contacted the navigational beacon after swinging wide in a turn when its rudder began responding erratically to helm orders, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's report.
The ship was slowed and returned towards the middle of the channel, before being stabilised with tug assistance and then conducted to nearby Webb Dock. While the ship sustained minor hull paint damage, the beacon was badly damaged.
An ATSB investigation concluded that the erratic steering was the result of a hydraulic bypass valve being left open by crew after an Australian Maritime Safety Authority port state control inspection the day before.
'Notably, the manipulation of steering hydraulics in this way was not required for the demonstration required for the inspection,' said Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell.
'However, the ship's responsible officers had an incomplete understanding of how the steering gear operated, and therefore incorrectly configured the steering system hydraulics.'
The ATSB's investigation identified the risk of this happening was heightened by ambiguous language in CMA CGM's fleetwide safety management system steering gear procedures.
Specifically, the procedures only referred to 'steering gear failure', instead of using common industry terms, such as 'emergency steering' and 'local steering'. In addition, terminology within the guidance was not clearly and explicitly defined.
As a result of the investigation, CMA CGM has advised the ATSB that its fleetwide 'steering gear failure' procedure will be amended and titled the 'emergency steering procedure', and improved for clarity.
SeaNews Turkey
