Coast Guard Investigation of Zodiac Accident

[Clay Clayton]

Although not identified, it sure sounds like the accident on Polaris. Hate hearing that it was crew caused. 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/safety-security/over-pressurized-zodiac-led-antarctic-injury-uscg?NL=ST-004&Issue=ST-004_20230324_ST-004_68&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_6&utm_campaign=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Headline_News_NL_03242023_4418&utm_emailname=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Headline_News_NL_03242023_4418&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_MDMContactID=db60c4e4-0afe-4832-ad88-83806cef368f&utm_campaigntype=Newsletter&eM=fe6114d63ee1af637c116a68ad60731963dbb02f790981a727f86217fc60c39d&eventSeriesCode=ES_SEATRDCRSCTNT&eventEditionCode=MTM00SCC&sessionCode=S_STRDCRSNEWS&sp_eh=fe6114d63ee1af637c116a68ad60731963dbb02f790981a727f86217fc60c39d

[deec]

3 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Although not identified, it sure sounds like the accident on Polaris. Hate hearing that it was crew caused. 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/safety-security/over-pressurized-zodiac-led-antarctic-injury-uscg?NL=ST-004&Issue=ST-004_20230324_ST-004_68&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_6&utm_campaign=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Headline_News_NL_03242023_4418&utm_emailname=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Headline_News_NL_03242023_4418&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_MDMContactID=db60c4e4-0afe-4832-ad88-83806cef368f&utm_campaigntype=Newsletter&eM=fe6114d63ee1af637c116a68ad60731963dbb02f790981a727f86217fc60c39d&eventSeriesCode=ES_SEATRDCRSCTNT&eventEditionCode=MTM00SCC&sessionCode=S_STRDCRSNEWS&sp_eh=fe6114d63ee1af637c116a68ad60731963dbb02f790981a727f86217fc60c39d

Yes it does...and the zodiac accident indirectly led to death of the passenger when the Rogue wave hit the Polaris and blew out windows when they were heading back to Ushuaia EARLY to get medical care for the women with the broken leg.  It was certainly a tragedy for all aboard.  

[PasadenaDave]

This was inexcusable.  Follow manufacturers specifications especially when dealing with pressurized items

[Heidi13]

32 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Although not identified, it sure sounds like the accident on Polaris. Hate hearing that it was crew caused. 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/safety-security/over-pressurized-zodiac-led-antarctic-injury-uscg?NL=ST-004&Issue=ST-004_20230324_ST-004_68&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_6&utm_campaign=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Headline_News_NL_03242023_4418&utm_emailname=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Weekly Headline_News_NL_03242023_4418&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_MDMContactID=db60c4e4-0afe-4832-ad88-83806cef368f&utm_campaigntype=Newsletter&eM=fe6114d63ee1af637c116a68ad60731963dbb02f790981a727f86217fc60c39d&eventSeriesCode=ES_SEATRDCRSCTNT&eventEditionCode=MTM00SCC&sessionCode=S_STRDCRSNEWS&sp_eh=fe6114d63ee1af637c116a68ad60731963dbb02f790981a727f86217fc60c39d

 

Clay - Thanks for posting this. Inflating tubes that don't have pressure relief valves with compressed air is downright dangerous. I used RIB's for > 20 yrs and never used compressed air, only the provided foot pump. Having the tube pressure at almost 3 x OEM recommended working pressure is a significant error. It's many years since I managed the service station, so memory is hazy,  I recall we only inflated to about 2x WP during the annual recertification. A competent operator should have identified this during the pre-trip inspection. Although we didn't use a pressure gauge, we checked the tubes on entering the boat, topping up when soft and bleeding air, if too hard.

 

Since other boats were found with similar pressures, I question the contents of Viking's safety management system regarding the preparation, maintenance and operation of the RIB's. If the OEM recommended filling with foot pump and working pressure were included in the SMS, this incident resulted from culpable human error, as the requirements of the SMS should be followed.

 

If this is not included in the SMS, I question the ship managers in developing a comprehensive SMS, especially as RIB's are routinely used by pax.

[Jim Avery]

Andy. as usual I agree but let me play a bit of Devil's Advocate.  I assume the RIBs are serviced onboard in the heated garage (or whatever they call the area) and could have been overinflated to compensate for the pressure reduction of use in an environment possibly 100F lower.  But as you accurately say, using compressors to pump to 3 x the Safe working load, is simply negligent.  It could have been done by a crewman on his very first ship and who might have worked around truck tires or some other job but his supervisor is ultimately responsible for this fatal error.  Few realize that the air pressure in a RIB is a much lower psi than your car tires.  Such an unnecessary chain of losses.

[CurlerRob]

One encouraging thing is the speedy issuance of the Marine Safety Alert - coming only a few months after the accident. That draws the attention of all of the cruise lines and helps with safety for all pax.

 

Would that the Sky final report was anywhere near as timely. I get the impacts of Covid and the higher complexity level, but 4 years without "lessons learned" is too long, IMO. 🍺🥌

[Cienfuegos]

Is the final report circulated to interested parties, industry personnel, lobbyists, etc before it is declared final-final and released?

 

 

[chengkp75]

28 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

If this is not included in the SMS, I question the ship managers in developing a comprehensive SMS, especially as RIB's are routinely used by pax.

This should absolutely have been a part of the SMS, but then again, the plan is so comprehensive that sometimes things are left out, only to be found after an incident.  Not condoning, just saying it does happen.

 

20 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

could have been overinflated to compensate for the pressure reduction of use in an environment possibly 100F lower.

If that is what they were thinking, they weren't clear on the facts.  10*F reduction in temperature results in a 1 psi drop in pressure, so a 100*F drop would be 10psi loss (probably less as the base pressure is a bit lower than most pressurized things).  And, the temp could not have been that colder than where the boat was originally, or the pressure in the keel bladder would have likely dropped below the allowable pressure.

 

12 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

One encouraging thing is the speedy issuance of the Marine Safety Alert - coming only a few months after the accident. That draws the attention of all of the cruise lines and helps with safety for all pax.

The USCG MSA is an advisory to foreign flag cruise ships, and they are not routinely distributed to foreign shipping companies, nor are they required to have been seen by the lines.  USCG has no jurisdiction unless they find this condition on a ship in US waters.

 

15 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

Would that the Sky final report was anywhere near as timely. I get the impacts of Covid and the higher complexity level, but 4 years without "lessons learned" is too long, IMO.

I'm not sure if the NSIA is required to issue a "final" report, if they feel that all topics and concerns were covered in an interim report.  They may feel that a final report is not required.

 

14 minutes ago, Cienfuegos said:

Is the final report circulated to interested parties, industry personnel, lobbyists, etc before it is declared final-final and released?

 

 

No.  Prior to publishing, it would only be shown to the ship owner, the class society, the flag state, the port state, and any "interested parties" that were actively attending the investigation.

[pavementends]

I concur that 3X recommended pressure cannot be explained by temperature change. Don't forget that the T in pV=nRT is absolute temperature.

 

Seems to me that there is (and should be) a safe way to fill Zodiacs using a compressor. This would mean a pressure gauge AND a pressure relief valve at the filling location. I rather doubt that any ship is filling 10 Zodiacs using foot pumps.

 

While this was a disturbing accident I am much more interested in understanding the Zodiac overturn accident that resulted in two deaths.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Andy. as usual I agree but let me play a bit of Devil's Advocate.  I assume the RIBs are serviced onboard in the heated garage (or whatever they call the area) and could have been overinflated to compensate for the pressure reduction of use in an environment possibly 100F lower.  But as you accurately say, using compressors to pump to 3 x the Safe working load, is simply negligent.  It could have been done by a crewman on his very first ship and who might have worked around truck tires or some other job but his supervisor is ultimately responsible for this fatal error.  Few realize that the air pressure in a RIB is a much lower psi than your car tires.  Such an unnecessary chain of losses.

 

Jim,

 

Pressure reduction due to cooling is a concern, but I expect the temperature in the garage is close to ambient temperature, as the shell door and stern door are open for launch and recovery. This can also be addressed in the SMS, with the collars re-checked once in the water and topped-up.

 

The fabric should never be inflated to 3x working pressure, so they should rarely, if ever need to be deflated.

 

Affirmative on low pressure, which is why I previously posted that I could understand how a bladder failure caused an explosive release. I have seen the techs cut the bladders that fail the annual test. They stick a knife in and they just deflate.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, pavementends said:

I concur that 3X recommended pressure cannot be explained by temperature change. Don't forget that the T in pV=nRT is absolute temperature.

 

Seems to me that there is (and should be) a safe way to fill Zodiacs using a compressor. This would mean a pressure gauge AND a pressure relief valve at the filling location. I rather doubt that any ship is filling 10 Zodiacs using foot pumps.

 

While this was a disturbing accident I am much more interested in understanding the Zodiac overturn accident that resulted in two deaths.

 

My ships had 4 RIB's and yes, we filled them with a foot pump, not compressed air. The rapid inflation with compressed air also puts additional stress on the fabric.

 

Not such an issue with liferafts, as they are designed for single use and for annual testing only receive gas inflations every 5-yrs.

 

Another consideration is the ship's SMS. If the SMS includes boilerplate text regarding compliance with OEM manuals, if the OEM recommends a foot pump, use of compressed air is a non-compliance.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Heidi13

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Not such an issue with liferafts, as they are designed for single use and for annual testing only receive gas inflations every 5-yrs.

This is the difference between a USCG approved life raft and a SOLAS approved raft.  For the annual inspection, USCG requires the raft to be inflated via the CO2 cannister, not by a compressor, to simulate the actual inflation in an emergency, and to fail rafts that are marginal in seam strength.

[Heidi13]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

This is the difference between a USCG approved life raft and a SOLAS approved raft.  For the annual inspection, USCG requires the raft to be inflated via the CO2 cannister, not by a compressor, to simulate the actual inflation in an emergency, and to fail rafts that are marginal in seam strength.

 

Wow - that significantly increases the stress on the fabric, especially at the diffuser. The average age of US rafts must be a few years less than SOLAS rafts.

 

When I managed our service station, the average age of our smaller 25 DL/TO's was over 20 years, with some closing in on 30 years. Really ticked off the OEM's who wanted them condemned about 15 - 18 yrs old, so they could sell replacements.

[Cienfuegos]

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

No.  Prior to publishing, it would only be shown to the ship owner, the class society, the flag state, the port state, and any "interested parties" that were actively attending the investigation.

Thank you.  That's a very clean way to handle it.

 

[deec]

23 hours ago, pavementends said:

I concur that 3X recommended pressure cannot be explained by temperature change. Don't forget that the T in pV=nRT is absolute temperature.

 

Seems to me that there is (and should be) a safe way to fill Zodiacs using a compressor. This would mean a pressure gauge AND a pressure relief valve at the filling location. I rather doubt that any ship is filling 10 Zodiacs using foot pumps.

 

While this was a disturbing accident I am much more interested in understanding the Zodiac overturn accident that resulted in two deaths.

The overturn accident  did NOT occur on a Viking Zodiac.

I also wonder how that occurred!  Antarctica is not for the timid! 

[chengkp75]

I still don't understand the findings, as reported.  The first picture shows the boat's deck deformed, but intact, so I don't see how this could have thrown a passenger "several feet into the air".  The second photo shows the bottom of the hull, and I can't picture 9 psi, even over the area of the bladder, exerting enough force when blowing out the bladder to deform the metal in that way.  I know what low pressure over a large area can do, but that isn't a very large area.  I suspect that the bladder blew out when the boat struck something, and the combined pressure of the bladder and the object below flattened out the hull, and the force of the strike is what threw the passengers about.

[Heidi13]

Chief - I concur, especially having witnessed collars deflate that are about 2x working pressure. Since the collars deflate, even if they were at 9 psi, I can't imagine how someone was thrown up in the air.

 

I still maintain the boat hit something or a mammal surfaced below the boat. If they hit something, the hull would show the damage, so I am still leaning towards contact by a mammal.

[zalusky]

7 hours ago, deec said:

The overturn accident  did NOT occur on a Viking Zodiac.

I also wonder how that occurred!  Antarctica is not for the timid! 

I personally know one of the people killed on the overturn incident but other than condolences I have gone no where near asking questions about the incident.  I can only say given my wife has some mobility issues we are going nowhere near Antarctica.