Classification
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Incident type | Grounded |
| Severity | High |
| Investigation classification | Very Serious |
| Region | Mediterranean Sea |
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Nova Cura |
| Vessel Type | General Cargo |
| Flag State | Netherlands [NL] |
| IMO Number | 9166479 |
| Call Sign | PCFP |
| Gross Tonnage | 3999 |
| LOA (m) | 107.09 |
| Breadth (m) | 15.0 |
| Year built | 1999 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Cargo | 4,400 tonnes of steel products |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2016-04-20 |
| Location | Mytilini Strait, north of Lesbos, Greece |
| Coordinates | 51.7570, 4.6283 |
| Vessels lost / total loss | 1; Nova Cura was declared a total loss |
| Physical damage | All double-bottom tanks, the engine room and the bow thruster room were breached and flooded |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | |
| Missing |
Key facts
- Nova Cura grounded on Lamnas Reef in Mytilini Strait, north of Lesbos, on 20 April 2016.
- The vessel was carrying 4,400 tonnes of steel products on a voyage from Eregli to Aliaga.
- The route had been changed from an Izmir plan without a full new voyage preparation for the Aliaga passage.
- ECDIS showed about 112 metres of water where the vessel grounded, while the charted position of the shallow differed from the actual reef position.
- All double-bottom tanks, the engine room and the bow thruster room were flooded, and the vessel was declared a total loss.
Narrative
Nova Cura was a Dutch general cargo vessel with container capacity carrying 4,400 tonnes of steel products from Eregli on the Black Sea to Aliaga. The voyage preparation had been made for the original destination of Izmir and a route west of Lesbos. When the destination changed to Aliaga, the master changed the route to pass north of Lesbos through Mytilini Strait, but the Dutch Safety Board found that no new voyage preparation was carried out for the revised passage.
The vessel was using ECDIS as its primary navigation system and was exempt from carrying paper charts. During the morning watch, the first mate identified that a waypoint appeared close to shallow water and raised the issue when the master took over. The master moved the waypoint south, but the bridge team did not use all available information to reassess the route. The Greek electronic navigational chart showed the position as approximately 112 metres deep, while the actual shallow water of Lamnas Reef lay about 0.2 nautical miles, or roughly 400 metres, from the position shown on the display. The investigation found that chart reliability, CATZOC information, pick reports, pilot knowledge and sector lights were not adequately used.
At 09:55 on 20 April 2016, a heavy vibration brought Nova Cura to a stop. The master saw rocks from the bridge wing and confirmed that the vessel had grounded from amidships to the stern. The general alarm was sounded and the main engine was stopped. All double-bottom tanks were breached and filled with water, as were the engine room and bow thruster room. The Dutch Safety Board classified the occurrence as Very Serious and reported that the vessel was ultimately a total loss.
A later account by the emergency-response contractor EPE states that oil-spill prevention began on the day of the grounding, the crew was evacuated by helicopter during a storm on 26 April, and cargo transshipment began on 28 April. Those post-casualty response details are attributed to EPE rather than to the Dutch Safety Board investigation.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2016-04-20 | Nova Cura was en route from Eregli to Aliaga with 4,400 tonnes of steel products. |
| 2016-04-20 | The destination and route were changed from the original Izmir passage west of Lesbos to a route north of Lesbos; no new voyage preparation was made. |
| 2016-04-20 04:00 | The first mate took over the watch while the vessel was proceeding through the Dardanelles. |
| 2016-04-20 08:00 | The master took over the watch and moved a waypoint south after the first mate raised its proximity to shallow water. |
| 2016-04-20 09:55 | A heavy vibration stopped the vessel. The master confirmed grounding, sounded the general alarm and ordered the main engine stopped. |
| 2016-04-26 | EPE later reported that the crew was evacuated by helicopter during a heavy storm. |
| 2016-04-28 | EPE later reported that cargo transshipment began. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incomplete voyage preparation after the destination change | Confirmed finding | The Dutch Safety Board found that the route was changed from the Izmir plan to Aliaga without a new voyage preparation for the route north of Lesbos. |
| Inaccurate electronic chart representation | Confirmed finding | The available Greek ENC placed the Lamnas Reef shallows away from their actual position; ECDIS indicated about 112 metres of depth at the grounding position. |
| Insufficient use of available navigation information | Confirmed finding | The investigation identified inadequate checking of ENC reliability, CATZOC and pick reports, and inadequate use of pilot knowledge and sector-light information. |
| Overestimation of ECDIS reliability | Confirmed finding | The Dutch Safety Board identified structural safety shortcomings in the way ECDIS and converted chart data can encourage users to assume that displayed information is current and sufficiently accurate. |
Investigation
The Dutch Safety Board investigated the grounding and published Digital navigation: old skills in new technology on 14 September 2017. The investigation was closed and classified the occurrence as Very Serious. Its conclusion was that safe navigation requires adequate voyage preparation and use of all available supporting information; ECDIS cannot compensate for a failure to assess chart reliability and other navigational aids. The report also identified broader safety shortcomings involving the conversion of old paper-chart data into electronic charts, the presentation and retrieval of information in ECDIS, and the risk that users lose or neglect traditional cross-checking skills.
References
- Dutch Safety Board investigation page: Digital navigation: old skills in new technology
- Dutch Safety Board report: Digital navigation: old skills in new technology
- Dutch Safety Board shipping occurrences report, May-November 2017
- Nautical Institute: Nova Cura
- EPE: Nova Cura emergency response