ROLLE (2008) | Novatug Maritime Wiki

Classification

Incident Type: Sinking
Severity: High
Tug involvement: yes

Vessel Details

Field	Value
Vessel Name	ROLLE
Vessel Type	Tug
Flag State	Finland [FI]
Call Sign	OJJX
Official Number	10562
Gross Tonnage	17
LOA (m)	14.28
Breadth (m)	3.48
Bollard Pull (t)	6
Power (kW)	248
Owner	Rauma Chartering and Towage Agency Oy Ab Ltd
Year Built	1965
Crew Size	2

Incident Details

Field	Value
Date	2008-10-02
Location	Paldiski South Harbour, Estonia
Region	Baltic Sea
Coordinates	59.3500, 24.0500
Fatalities	0
Injuries	0
Missing	0
Vessels Lost	1
Outcome	ROLLE sank without casualties, caused slight oil pollution, was raised overnight, and was later taken to Rauma for extensive repairs.

Key facts

ROLLE was moored stern-first toward strengthening south-westerly wind and waves at an exposed pontoon in Paldiski South Harbour.
Water entered the fuel tanks through defective air pipes, and the main engine stopped after the tug had moved about 20 m during an attempt to relocate it.
ROLLE drifted against the stern of REGAL STAR and the quay ramp, partly tearing out an aft-deck bollard and opening the afterpeak to flooding.
Water spread from the afterpeak into the engine room through an open drainage line, after which the engine-room air inlets submerged and the tug sank.
No one was injured; slight oil pollution was contained, and ROLLE was raised during the night following the casualty.

Narrative

ROLLE had been supporting harbour works at Paldiski South Harbour and was waiting for improved weather before leaving Estonia. On the morning of 2 October 2008, the skipper carried out an engine-oil change and secured the tug to a floating pontoon with its stern toward the strengthening south-westerly wind and waves. He left the vessel at 11:30 after becoming ill and notified the local supervisor at 13:30. Permission to move ROLLE elsewhere in the harbour had not been obtained, so the supervisor asked the crew of the tug AMIRAALI to monitor it and move it to a more sheltered position if conditions worsened.

AMIRAALI reached ROLLE at about 14:00, when the wind was about 14 m/s. Its skipper and engineer boarded ROLLE and found some water already on the engine-room floor plates. They started the main engine and let go the moorings, but the engine stopped after the tug had travelled only about 20 m and could not be restarted. The investigation found water in the fuel filters and concluded that defective fuel-tank air pipes had allowed spray and seawater into the fuel system.

Without propulsion, ROLLE was driven between the stern of the ro-ro passenger ship REGAL STAR and the quay No. 6 ramp. Repeated impacts partly tore an aft-deck bollard from its seating, opening a hole into the afterpeak, and damaged the starboard side of the superstructure. The assisting personnel initially left ROLLE, then returned with help from another tug to connect a tow from AMIRAALI at about 14:30.

ROLLE was towed stern-first toward a safer berth, but flooding continued. Water entering the afterpeak passed into the engine room through a drainage pipe whose valve was normally open. As the stern settled and the starboard list increased, the engine-room air inlets submerged and the flooding accelerated. ROLLE sank beside the barge SCG3 at about 15:00. No personal injuries occurred. A small amount of oil escaped, and harbour responders boomed the area and recovered contaminated water. The tug was raised by about 02:30 the following morning. Although initially treated as a total loss, it was later acquired from the insurer by its owner, towed to Rauma, and prepared for extensive repairs.

Sequence of events

Date/time	Event
2008-10-02 09:15 local	ROLLE's skipper arrived to change the main-engine oil and prepare the tug.
2008-10-02 11:30 local	The skipper left for Tallinn after becoming ill.
2008-10-02 13:30 local	The skipper reported his illness and asked the local supervisor to monitor ROLLE.
2008-10-02 14:00 local	AMIRAALI reached ROLLE; its skipper and engineer boarded to move the tug.
2008-10-02 about 14:30 local	A towline from AMIRAALI was connected after ROLLE lost propulsion and struck REGAL STAR and the quay ramp.
2008-10-02 about 15:00 local	ROLLE sank beside barge SCG3 at quay No. 5.
2008-10-02 15:02 local	Turku MRCC received ROLLE's EPIRB alert.
2008-10-02 15:13 local	The owner's representative confirmed to MRCC that ROLLE had sunk.
2008-10-03 about 02:30 local	ROLLE was raised from the harbour.

Contributing factors

Factor	Evidence status	Description
Defective fuel-tank air pipes	Confirmed finding	The air pipes allowed water into the fuel system, causing the engine to stop during the relocation attempt.
Exposed mooring orientation	Confirmed finding	ROLLE was secured stern-first toward the wind and waves, allowing water to reach openings and accumulate on board.
Delayed supervision	Confirmed finding	The tug was left unattended for several hours as the weather worsened, and the skipper reported his illness two hours after leaving.
Collision damage and open drainage path	Confirmed finding	Impact damage opened the afterpeak, from which water flowed into the engine room through a drainage line with its valve open.
Unfamiliar response crew	Confirmed finding	The salvage attempt was conducted by personnel from AMIRAALI, while ROLLE was new to its own crew and the assisting personnel were not its assigned crew.

Investigation

Accident Investigation Board Finland investigated the casualty with assistance from Estonian investigators and issued report D10/2008M. It identified defective fuel-tank air pipes as the basic cause and leaving ROLLE unattended in worsening weather as a contributing factor. The report also described how collision damage, the open afterpeak drainage line, increasing list and immersion of the engine-room air inlets produced progressive flooding. It recommended periodic inspection and weather-tight maintenance of air pipes and other openings, together with vessel-specific analysis and guidance for flooding that can spread from one compartment to another.

References

Accident Investigation Board Finland report D10/2008M: Sinking of the tug ROLLE