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Crew on cargo vessel that lost 30 shipping containers in Pentland Firth had become too accustomed to bad weather

Dounreay is currently being decommissioned. Image: Sandy McCook / DC Thomson
Dounreay is currently being decommissioned. Image: Sandy McCook / DC Thomson

Cargo ship owners that lost 34 containers in “green seas forces” in the Pentland Firth have been written to by the Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) over safety issues.

An MAIB report said the 4015-tonne vessel, Francisca, made regular journeys in the region around Duncansby Head, and as such the 10 crew members had “lowered their appreciation” of risks.

A green sea is a solid load of water coming aboard the deck of a ship.

No injuries and minor damage to ship

No one was injured during the incident on October 31 2o2o at 11.45am.

There was only minor damage to the Netherlands-registered ship. However the mainly-empty containers were lost in the sea with debris from one container landing on the north coastline.

The Francisca was on passage from Iceland to the Netherlands when it ran into severe weather conditions.

34 container boxes were lost. Picture by Shutterstock.

The deck cargo of containers was struck by green sea forces when Francisca was pitching heavily into the waves, causing stacks to collapse and containers to be lost overboard.

All 34 containers were lost in the sea

None of the containers were recovered.

In a report from the MAIB, it said: “The preliminary assessment found that Francisca’s violent pitching and ploughing into the heavy seas resulted in a rapid loss of speed and heading control, which exposed the deck cargo to green sea forces capable of overwhelming the maximum loading of the container securing arrangements.

“Regular passages between Iceland and the Netherlands meant that Francisca’s crew had become accustomed to operating in the often poor weather in the North Atlantic, Pentland Firth and North Sea, and this had lowered their appreciation of the significant weather-associated risks.

The Pentland Firth off Duncansby Head Lighthouse. Picture by Sandy McCook.

“The preliminary assessment also identified that the absence of a protective breakwater at the vessel’s bow increased the risk of cargo loss in heavy weather, and corrosion to the vessel’s deck cargo securing arrangements may have contributed to the scale of the loss.”

The report added: “As a result of the MAIB’s preliminary assessment, the chief inspector of marine accidents has written to the vessel’s technical manager, VMS Ship Management BV, and the charterer, Longship BV, advising them of the safety issues identified by this accident so that internal measures can be taken to reduce the risk of recurrence.”