Classification
- Incident Type: Grounded
- Severity: High
- Tug involvement: no
- Tug mechanism: N/A
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Kaami |
| Vessel Type | General Cargo |
| Flag State | Bahamas [BS] |
| IMO Number | 9063885 |
| Gross Tonnage | 2715 |
| LOA (m) | 89.95 |
| Year Built | 1994 |
| Crew Size | 8 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2020-03-23 |
| Location | Sgeir Graidach shoal, the Little Minch, west coast of Scotland |
| Region | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 57.6000, -6.7600 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | |
| Vessels Lost | 1 |
| Outcome | The crew were evacuated, Kaami was refloated on 4 May 2020, and the vessel was declared a constructive total loss. |
| Direct Damage | |
| Estimated Economic Damage |
Key facts
- Kaami grounded on Sgeir Graidach shoal in the Little Minch at 01:41 local time on 23 March 2020.
- The vessel was on passage from Drogheda, Ireland, to Slite, Sweden, with eight people on board.
- MAIB identified deficiencies in voyage appraisal, under-keel-clearance planning, ECDIS settings, route checking, and passage monitoring.
- The crew were evacuated by coastguard helicopter, and no injuries were reported.
- Kaami was refloated on 4 May 2020 after sustaining extensive hull damage and was declared a constructive total loss.
Narrative
Kaami was a Bahamas-flagged general cargo vessel on passage from Drogheda, Ireland, to Slite, Sweden, with eight people on board. During the early hours of 23 March 2020, the vessel was navigating the Little Minch off the west coast of Scotland. At 01:41 local time, it ran aground on Sgeir Graidach shoal.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch found that the route had not been adequately prepared before the vessel reached the area. The voyage appraisal was incomplete, no minimum under-keel clearance calculation had been made, and the safety contour settings on the electronic chart display and information system were incorrect. The planned route had not been visually checked using appropriately scaled charts. An ECDIS route safety check and an effective second check of the voyage plan had also not been carried out. These omissions left the route insufficiently protected against the shoal hazard.
Passage monitoring did not compensate for the planning failures. The ECDIS look-ahead functions were not active, the lookout was ineffective, and MAIB considered that the chief officer was probably affected by fatigue. A local fishing vessel warned Kaami shortly before the grounding, but the developing danger was not prevented. MAIB also identified a missed opportunity for Stornoway Coastguard Operations Centre to intervene before the vessel reached the shoal.
After the grounding, the crew were evacuated by coastguard helicopter. No injuries were reported. Kaami had suffered extensive hull damage and remained stranded while arrangements were made for its recovery. The vessel was refloated on 4 May 2020, more than a month after the casualty, but the damage was sufficiently serious for it to be declared a constructive total loss.
The MAIB investigation treated the casualty as the result of connected planning and monitoring failures rather than a single isolated error. Its findings linked the defective route appraisal, incorrect ECDIS safeguards, absent cross-checks, ineffective lookout and monitoring, probable fatigue, and missed shore-side intervention opportunity to the failure to recognize and avoid Sgeir Graidach.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2020-03-23 01:41 local | Kaami grounded on Sgeir Graidach shoal in the Little Minch. |
| 2020-03-23 | The eight-person crew were evacuated by coastguard helicopter. |
| 2020-05-04 | Kaami was refloated after remaining stranded for more than a month. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incomplete voyage appraisal | Confirmed finding | The route was prepared without a full appraisal or minimum under-keel clearance calculation. |
| Inadequate ECDIS safeguards | Confirmed finding | Safety contour settings were incorrect, and no effective visual route check or ECDIS route safety check was completed. |
| Missing independent route check | Confirmed finding | The voyage plan did not receive an effective second check before use. |
| Ineffective passage monitoring | Confirmed finding | ECDIS look-ahead functions were inactive, and the lookout was ineffective. |
| Probable fatigue | Confirmed finding | MAIB assessed that the chief officer was probably affected by fatigue. |
| Missed shore-side intervention | Confirmed finding | Stornoway Coastguard Operations Centre did not intervene despite a warning from a local fishing vessel shortly before the grounding. |
Investigation
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigated the grounding and published a completed accident report. It found that the voyage plan was deficient, ECDIS safeguards and route checks were ineffective, passage monitoring and lookout performance were inadequate, and the chief officer was probably affected by fatigue. The report also identified a missed opportunity for Stornoway Coastguard Operations Centre to intervene before the grounding.
References
- UKMAIB source note
- MAIB report: Grounding and constructive total loss of Kaami