Classification
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Incident Type | Allision |
| Severity | Medium |
| Investigation Body | Dutch Safety Board |
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Vessel Name | ALP Guard |
| Vessel Names | ALP Guard |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Flag State | |
| IMO Number | 9398539 |
| Gross Tonnage | |
| LOA (m) | |
| Breadth (m) | |
| Other Involved Vessels | Submerged shipwreck |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Date | 2015-08-05 |
| Region | Caribbean Sea |
| Location | Near Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Coordinates | 10.6573, -61.5180 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage | |
Key facts
- ALP Guard was approaching the Port of Spain pilot station at about 17:24 UTC.
- The tug struck a submerged wreck while navigating with a paper chart and DGPS, with its position checked by radar shortly before impact.
- The wreck position in the applicable Notice to Mariners did not match the actual wreck position.
- No buoy was visible at either the charted position or the impact site.
- The tug sustained starboard-bow damage below the waterline, several leaks and a need for dry-dock repairs.
Narrative
On 5 August 2015, the sea tug ALP Guard was approaching the pilot station at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. At about 17:24 UTC, the tug struck a submerged shipwreck. The Dutch Safety Board report states that navigation was being carried out with a paper chart and Differential GPS as the primary navigation aid, and that the vessel's position had been checked with radar shortly before the impact. The wreck position shown in the applicable Notice to Mariners did not match the wreck's actual position. The notice stated that the wreck was marked with a buoy, but the crew saw no buoy at the charted location or at the impact site. After boarding the tug, a pilot explained that the wreck's new position was 2.5 cables south of the position stated in the notice, matching the collision site. ALP Guard sustained damage to its starboard bow below the waterline, resulting in several leaks and requiring dry-dock repairs. The official excerpt classifies the occurrence as serious and reports no fatalities, injuries or missing persons. It does not provide a flag state, gross tonnage, LOA, breadth, ownership, or normalized economic-loss figure. The casualty is classified here as an allision because the tug struck a stationary submerged wreck rather than another moving vessel.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|
| 2015-08-05, before 17:24 UTC | ALP Guard approached the Port of Spain pilot station using paper-chart and DGPS navigation. |
| 2015-08-05 17:24 UTC | ALP Guard struck a submerged wreck. |
| After impact | A pilot identified the wreck's actual position as 2.5 cables south of the Notice to Mariners position; the tug required dry-dock repairs. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|
| Incorrect wreck position in the Notice to Mariners | Confirmed finding | The published wreck position did not correspond to the wreck's actual position. |
| Missing or misplaced wreck buoy | Confirmed finding | The crew saw no buoy at either the charted position or the impact site. |
| Inadequate navigational warning | Confirmed finding | The available warning did not give the approaching tug a reliable indication of the wreck's actual location. |
Investigation
The Dutch Safety Board included the casualty in its Shipping Occurrences Report for May to October 2015. The report identifies the mismatch between the Notice to Mariners position and the wreck's actual location as the central safety issue. It records the tug's IMO number, the below-waterline bow damage and the need for dry-dock repairs, but does not provide normalized vessel particulars beyond the IMO number or a monetary loss estimate.
References
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