Stability:
Case Study 3
Vessel Type: Feeder Container
Trading Area: Far East
Case No: 34857
The Incident:
This incident occurred on a 316 teu feeder container vessel/bulk carrier immediately after loading had
been completed.
On completion of loading the vessel had a 1° list to starboard. This slowly increased. Corrective action was taken, but despite this the list continued to increase. By the time it had reached approximately 15°, a number of containers fell off the top tier into the harbour waters. The vessel then violently rolled to port. The list increased until the water line had reached the hatch coamings and progressive flooding started to take place. Fortunately more containers fell off the top tier, reducing the list. The situation was eventually brought under control by discharging cargo and the vessel returned to an even keel.
The Cause:
This incident was caused by a poorly prepared stow plan resulting in the vessel having
negative stability upon completion of loading. The onboard calculations were incorrectly
executed, as they appear not to have taken the effects of free surface into account, so
masking the true stability condition of the vessel.
Observations:
Feeder container vessels are renowned for their short turn round times and frequent cargo
changes. Operators of these vessels should ensure procedures are in place to minimise the
potential for errors. Shore prepared stow plans must be checked for accuracy, preferably by a second person before they are issued. Means should be provided to assist ship’s staff in
assessing the stability condition of the vessel so as to reduce the possibilities of errors being
made in hastily completed calculations. This could take the form of computers or
encouragement to use prepared pro forma. Owners should satisfy themselves that the senior
officers on board are fully familiar with the stability requirements of their vessel.
The Financial Cost:
This turned out to be a very expensive claim as enormous efforts had to be made to locate
the sunken containers that fell overboard. The final cost was in the region of US$580,000.
