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Accidents

Sea Bronco (2016)

A crew member aboard the tug Sea Bronco suffered serious head injuries when a towline parted during a berthing operation in Vlissingen.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Other
  • Severity: Medium

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameSea Bronco
Vessel TypeTug
Flag State
IMO Number
Gross Tonnage
LOA (m)

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date2016-12-23
LocationVlissingen, Netherlands
Coordinates51.4943, 3.4150
RegionNorth Sea
Fatalities
Injuries1
Missing
Direct Damage
Economic Damage

Key facts

  • The accident occurred during a berthing operation in Vlissingen on 23 December 2016.
  • The tow wire was being hauled in when it came under tension and parted.
  • The recoiling line struck a 24-year-old crew member on the right side of his head.
  • The injured crew member was removed from the vessel and taken by trauma helicopter to a hospital in Rotterdam.
  • The article attributes the circumstances to a Dutch Safety Board report but does not provide a direct report URL.

Narrative

On 23 December 2016, Sea Bronco was involved in a berthing operation in Vlissingen. According to the HVZeeland account, the tow wire was being hauled in when it became taut and parted. The article says the captain had a moment of inattention and did not hear the crew's warnings before the line came under tension.

The recoiling towline struck a 24-year-old crew member on the right side of his head. He was knocked unconscious and fell on the deck. Ambulance and fire-brigade personnel removed him from the vessel, after which a trauma helicopter transferred him to a hospital in Rotterdam. The available source confirms one serious injury and does not describe physical vessel damage, pollution, fatalities, or a missing-person count.

The article attributes its account of the circumstances to a Dutch Safety Board report. The direct report URL and any final causal analysis are not available in the reviewed source record.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence status
Moment of inattention and missed warningsReported in the article's account of the Dutch Safety Board findings.
Tow wire came under tension and partedReported event mechanism.

Investigation

The HVZeeland article states that the Dutch Safety Board reported on the accident. No direct report URL or separate final causal analysis is available in the linked source record.

References