The Weekly Reflektion Week 16/2021

A passenger ferry ran aground and sank. In a high technology society, how did this happen?

Does your crew know what to do in the event of an emergency? How do you know?

On 26th November 1999, the passenger ferry Sleipner was travelling from Stavanger to Bergen in Norway, having just left Haugesund at 1850 hrs. Sixteen were killed when, at 1908 hrs, the ferry ran aground and sank at ‘Store Bloksen’, a notorious reef where several boats have foundered. 

The ferry was travelling at ca. 35 knots, and skidded up onto the rock platform, ripping the bottom out of the ferry, and leaving all hull compartments punctured and open to the sea. An unsuccessful attempt was made to reverse off the rock platform. After about 30 minutes the bow section broke off the ferry, which sank almost immediately. Sixty-nine people were pulled out of the sea alive.

Prior to the accident, the safety video had been run, explaining escape routes and where the life rafts and life vests could be found. The wind was strong out of the south west, and darkness had already set in. The sick bags had been broken out in the rough seas on the way to Haugesund. 

The investigation found that the grounding came without warning due to navigation errors by the crew. The crew had had insufficient training in the use of the navigation equipment, and visual observation was given priority over other navigation aids. The autopilot had been switched off due to the narrow channels between the underwater hazards. 

There were four life rafts, two port and two starboard, but the crew had not been trained in the complicated launching system and these were not launched immediately. It was found that even in calmer seas than at the time of the grounding, the launching system was difficult to use. The life rafts were also not equipped with hydrostatic triggers required by the regulations to ensure they inflated automatically after submerging. The two port life rafts were not launched and failed to inflate upon being submerged. One starboard life raft inflated when launched but upside down, and the other starboard raft inflated but filled with water and was semi-submerged but still useable. 

Life jackets were available, but even those with survival training had difficulty putting them on. The life jackets did not have crotch straps and were pulled off several of the passengers as they jumped into the water. These life jackets did not meet the applicable regulatory requirements.

The captain was criticised in the investigation report, for not reducing speed as per class requirements in the ambient weather conditions, and for lack of leadership after the grounding. The passengers were generally left to fend for themselves.

The ship owner’s control of compliance with training and exercise requirements was found to be poor, and the evacuation system should not have been approved by the authorities. It was further recommended that survival suits be made available to all passengers, rather than only for the crew, and crew training be significantly improved.

How is the training of your personnel in terms of emergency response? What about your visitors? How do you know?