RMT EXPOSES SAFETY SCANDAL AT PENTLAND FERRIES

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its Annual Report for 2020 receiving notification of 1,217 marine accidents and incidents involving 1,307 vessels. The MAIB commenced 19 investigations, 10 of which involved loss of life and published 20 investigation reports, two safety digests and two safety bulletins during the year. It made 42 recommendations, with an acceptance rate of 92.9 per cent, and two recommendations were partially accepted, none were withdrawn, and one was rejected. Two commercial fishermen lost their lives compared with five in 2019 and six in 2018. Regrettably, six commercial fishermen have lost their lives so far in 2021, so the low figure for 2020 cannot be viewed as marking a significant improvement in fishing safety. The Annual Report includes statistics on accidents to UK ships and seafarers worldwide, and to foreign flag vessels and their crews in UK waters. It also contains an overview of the work of the MAIB, details of reports published and contains analysis of the safety recommendations issued during the year and the status of outstanding recommendations from previous years. Chief Inspector or Marine Accidents Captain Andrew Moll said that the MAIB had published two investigation reports into the collapse of container stacks on large container ships. “There have been more accidents involving large losses of containers since, and more general concerns about large container vessels were already being raised before Ever Given grounded in the Suez Canal earlier this year. “There is no doubt that accidents involving Ultra Large Container vessels will continue to receive intense focus, but it is too early to say what common themes might emerge from accident investigations and whether these could have wider implications for the sector. “On paper, 2020 was a safer year for the UK fishing industry, with only one accident resulting in fatalities. Regrettably, six commercial fishermen’s lives have been lost already in 2021, meaning that eight commercial fishermen have lost their lives in the six-month period November to May. While the investigations are ongoing, the indications are that five lives were lost as a result of small fishing vessels capsizing or foundering quickly,” he said. The role of the MAIB is to contribute to safety at sea by determining the causes and circumstances of marine accidents and working with others to reduce the likelihood of such accidents recurring in the future. RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2021 :: RMTnews 10 NOT SAFE: MV Pentalina at St Margarets Hope, Orkney, Scotland Pentland Ferries’ catamaran Pentalina will not be introduced onto CalMac operated Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes after RMT demanded that a safety inspection was carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the vessel. The inspection revealed that the vessel’s owner had personally altered the superstructure, compromising safety provisions at the intersection between the galley kitchen and passenger accommodation on the vessel. Transport Scotland was seeking to charter from anti- trade union operator Pentland Ferries for service on CalMac routes in western Scotland. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that the union been proved absolutely right to demand an investigation. “We of course recognise the difficulties caused to people and businesses by the ongoing failure of the Scottish government’s vessel procurement programme. But bringing an unsafe vessel onto Clyde and Hebrides ferry services is in no one’s interest. “We strongly believe that a cavalier approach to safety and seafarers’ rights, hallmarks of Pentland Ferries, have no place on Scotland’s lifeline ferry services. “It is a fact that workplaces covered by trade union agreements are safer workplaces. On-board safety committees with crew representatives work well in CalMac Ferries but the buccaneering owner of Pentland Ferries, Andrew Banks clearly regards maritime safety regulations with the same suspicion he regards trade unions. “This vessel had been declared fit for relief service on four CalMac routes by the MCA before the RMT’s intervention. “Rather than working with the vessel’s dodgy owner to gloss over this shocking case, we need an inquiry into how the Scottish government’s ferry procurement strategy has exposed crew and passengers to this unacceptable level of risk,” he said.   RMT EXPOSES SAFETY SCANDAL AT PENTLAND FERRIES ACCIDENTS AT SEA