Mirach (2011) | Novatug Maritime Wiki

Classification

Incident Type: Grounded
Severity: High
Tug involvement: no
Tug mechanism: N/A

The casualty resulted in the total loss of the vessel.

Vessel Details

Field	Value
Vessel Name	Mirach
Vessel Type	Bulk Carrier
Flag State	Panama [PA]
IMO Number	8116881
Call Sign	3EEH8
Gross Tonnage	16712
LOA (m)	176
Breadth (m)
TEU
Year Built	1982
Crew Size	25

Incident Details

Field	Value
Date	2011-03-29
Location	Crocodile Rock off Cape Comorin, India
Coordinates	8.081667, 77.286667
Region	Indian Ocean
Fatalities	0
Injuries	0
Missing	0
Direct Damage	Severe underwater hull damage caused progressive flooding through the forepeak, double-bottom tanks and cargo holds; the vessel completely foundered

Key facts

Mirach struck Crocodile Rock at about 8 knots at 1803 on 29 March 2011.
No position was plotted during the final two hours, and the bridge team did not monitor the vessel's set and drift toward the coast.
The forepeak, number 1 double-bottom tanks and number 1 cargo hold flooded after the impact.
All 25 crew members abandoned safely on 4 April; no fatalities or injuries were reported.
Progressive flooding continued until the vessel completely foundered on 11 April.

Narrative

Mirach sailed from Vishakhapatnam on 24 March 2011 carrying about 25,842 tonnes of iron ore fines for Karachi. A main-engine fuel-injector problem limited the bulk carrier to about 8 knots. The planned route passed approximately one nautical mile from Crocodile Rock off Cape Comorin, but no-go areas, courses to steer, current effects and parallel-indexing safeguards were not properly developed on the chart.

The chief officer took the bridge watch at 1600 on 29 March. From that point, neither he nor the relieving third officer plotted the vessel's position. At 1738, the master sent an instruction to alter course away from the coast. The chief officer, occupied with paperwork and attempts to obtain mobile-phone and internet reception, did not make the alteration. When he handed the watch to the third officer at 1745, he gave only a general warning that an alteration was approaching. The third officer did not establish the vessel's position, although the waypoint was about two nautical miles away.

The bridge team did not use GPS, radar, echo sounder or visual lookout effectively to monitor the ship's progress. A southeast-setting current moved Mirach east of the charted track without being detected. Crocodile Rock was first sighted only a few metres ahead. At 1800, the third officer changed to hand steering and attempted a wide turn to port, but the bow struck the rock at 1803 in position 08°04.9′N, 077°17.2′E.

The impact flooded the forepeak, both number 1 double-bottom tanks and number 1 cargo hold. The master stopped and manoeuvred the engine, sounded the general alarm and requested assistance from the owner, but did not transmit an urgency or distress message. The salvage tug Smit Nicobar arrived on 30 March and divers assessed the underwater damage on 1 April.

Flooding remained relatively stable until number 2 cargo hold flooded early on 4 April. At about 0600, the master ordered abandonment. All 25 crew reached shore without injury. Number 3 hold flooded by 6 April, structural cracking developed around the hatch coaming, and the vessel settled progressively by the bow. Mirach completely foundered on 11 April, leaving only parts of the funnel and forward mast visible. The report recorded no observed oil pollution before abandonment.

Sequence of events

Date/time	Event
2011-03-24	Mirach departed Vishakhapatnam for Karachi with an iron-ore-fines cargo.
2011-03-29 16:00 local	The chief officer took the watch; no further positions were plotted before the grounding.
2011-03-29 17:38 local	The master instructed that the vessel alter course away from the coast.
2011-03-29 17:45 local	The third officer relieved the chief officer without establishing the vessel's position.
2011-03-29 18:03 local	Mirach struck Crocodile Rock at about 8 knots.
2011-03-30	The salvage tug Smit Nicobar arrived.
2011-04-04 06:00 local	Progressive flooding led the master to order abandonment; all 25 crew reached shore safely.
2011-04-11	Mirach completely foundered.

Contributing factors

Factor	Evidence status	Description
Inadequate passage planning	Confirmed finding	The planned route passed close to Crocodile Rock without adequate no-go areas, marked hazards, current allowances or risk assessment.
Distracted watchkeeping	Confirmed finding	Paperwork and attempts to obtain mobile communications diverted attention from navigation and the master's alteration instruction.
Position-monitoring failure	Confirmed finding	GPS positions were not plotted for two hours, while radar, echo sounder and other available safeguards were not used effectively.
Poor watch handover	Confirmed finding	The chief officer did not provide the relieving third officer with the vessel's position or distance to the imminent alteration point.
Set and drift not assessed	Confirmed finding	The bridge team did not detect or counter the current that carried the vessel east of its intended track.

Investigation

The Panama Maritime Authority's Department of Maritime Casualty Investigations examined the grounding and found major failures in passage planning, lookout, position monitoring, bridge-resource management and watch handover. It also criticized the failure to transmit urgency or distress messages, preserve the voyage recorder data and recognize the seriousness of the vessel's deteriorating condition promptly.

References

Panama Maritime Authority report: M/V Mirach grounding on Crocodile Rock