Classification
- Incident Type: Other (near grounding)
- Severity: Low
- Region: Australia
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Vessel Name | Rosco Polar |
| Vessel Type | Bulk Carrier |
| Flag State | Hong Kong [HK] |
| IMO Number | 9336878 |
| Gross Tonnage | 42647 |
| LOA (m) | 224.86 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Date | 2022-05-04 |
| Location | Bond Reef, Hydrographers Passage, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | -19.9183, 150.3126 |
| Region | Australia |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | |
Key facts
- At about 03:11 on 4 May 2022, the bulk carrier came within less than 200 m of Bond Reef while transiting Hydrographers Passage under coastal pilotage.
- A likely GPS antenna fault produced erroneous position data that was distributed to the ECDIS, radars, AIS, and the pilot’s portable pilot unit.
- The pilot and bridge team did not maintain an effective radar and visual cross-check before the error was recognised and the course corrected.
- No contact with the reef, injuries, or damage were reported.
- ATSB issued a safety recommendation to AMSA concerning the coastal-pilot check-pilot framework.
Narrative
On 4 May 2022, Rosco Polar was transiting Hydrographers Passage off Queensland under coastal pilotage. At about 03:11, the pilot noticed a reef sector light showing red and ordered a course correction. The ship’s equipment then indicated that it was passing less than 200 m from Bond Reef, compared with a normal clearance of about 1,500 m. After the course was corrected, the remaining pilotage was completed uneventfully.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that one of the vessel’s three GPS units likely malfunctioned because of an antenna fault. The erroneous position data was fed to the ECDIS, radars, AIS, and the pilot’s portable pilot unit because those systems used the same position source. The pilot and bridge team relied on the GPS-based displays and did not maintain an effective radar and visual cross-check. The report also identified ineffective master-pilot information exchange, undefined roles, non-essential tasks, and the absence of a shared mental model as weaknesses in bridge resource management. The vessel did not contact the reef, and no injuries or damage were reported. The report text uses the spelling Rosco Poplar in places; this page retains Rosco Polar.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|
| 2022-05-04 03:11 local (approx.) | While transiting Hydrographers Passage, the pilot saw a reef sector light showing red and ordered a course correction; the vessel was found to be within less than 200 m of Bond Reef. |
| 2022-05-04 | The course was corrected and the remaining pilotage was completed uneventfully. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|
| GPS position error | Suspected | ATSB considered that a GPS unit likely malfunctioned because of an antenna fault and supplied erroneous position data. |
| Sole reliance on a common position source | Confirmed finding | The ECDIS, radars, AIS, and pilot’s portable pilot unit used the same GPS-derived position, while the bridge team did not maintain independent radar and visual cross-checks. |
| Bridge resource management | Confirmed finding | Ineffective master-pilot exchange, undefined roles, non-essential tasks, and the lack of a shared mental model weakened the bridge team’s response. |
| Reef VTS response | Reported | The REEFVTS operator initially treated the unusual alerting as a likely system error and did not provide timely advice about the vessel’s proximity to Bond Reef. |
Investigation
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s final investigation report identifies the GPS position error, sole reliance on a common position source, inadequate cross-checking, and bridge resource management weaknesses as contributing factors. ATSB also issued a safety recommendation to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority concerning the effectiveness of the coastal-pilot check-pilot framework.
References
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