Classification
- Incident Type: Terminal Accident
- Severity: Medium
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Spirit of Tasmania II |
| Vessel Type | Ferry |
| Flag State | Australia [AU] |
| IMO Number | 9158434 |
| Gross Tonnage | 29338 |
| LOA (m) | 194.30 |
| Breadth (m) | 25.00 |
| Year Built | 1998 |
| Owner/Operator | TT-Line Company, Australia |
| Crew Size | 70 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2016-01-13 |
| Time | 17:53 AEDT |
| Location | Inner East berth, Station Pier, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Coordinates | -37.843500, 144.932167 |
| Region | Australia |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Investigation Body | ATSB |
| Direct Damage | All but one mooring line parted; minor damage to the ship's bow ramp and doors; extensive damage to the elevated roadway and ramp arrangement on the wharf; minor damage to other wharf structures |
Key facts
- At 17:53 local time, wind at the ship reached nearly 60 knots from the southwest and forced its stern away from Station Pier.
- All but one mooring line parted; the remaining forward line became the pivot point for the ferry's swing.
- The crew brought the thrusters and main engines into use and, with assistance from two harbour tugs, returned the ferry alongside by 19:05.
- No one was injured. The ship sustained minor bow damage, while the wharf's elevated roadway and ramp arrangement sustained extensive damage.
- Spirit of Tasmania II returned to service on 17 January, four days after the breakaway.
Narrative
Spirit of Tasmania II berthed at Station Pier at 06:00 on 13 January 2016 after its scheduled Bass Strait crossing from Devonport. A strong wind warning was in effect for Port Phillip, and the master arranged for two of the ferry's four main engines to be available for manoeuvring at immediate notice from 16:00. Freight and vehicle loading began at about 16:00, followed by passenger boarding at about 17:30. Around 120 passengers were on board when the breakaway began.
At about 17:50, the master checked the Bureau of Meteorology website and saw a severe thunderstorm warning issued at 17:37. The approaching storms were then about 13 nautical miles southwest of Station Pier. Shortly afterward, gusts at the ship reached nearly 60 knots. At 17:53, the wind forced the stern off the wharf and the aft mooring lines failed in rapid succession. All aft lines and all but one forward line eventually parted. The ferry pivoted around the remaining bow line, its lower bow ramp dropped from the wharf, and the upper vehicle ramp detached from the bow and twisted away from the ship.
The master went to the bridge, called the crew to their mooring stations and ordered the thrusters and main engines started. The thrusters were available by 17:56 and two main engines by about 17:58. By 17:59, the ferry lay at right angles to Station Pier and parallel to the nearby public beach. Its crew used the stern thruster, followed by two main engines and both thrusters, to hold the ship off the beach. A tug was secured to the stern at 18:09, a second tug began assisting at 18:26, and the ferry was made fast alongside again by 19:05 without grounding.
No one was injured. Spirit of Tasmania II sustained minor damage to its bow ramp and bow doors. The wharf's elevated roadway and ramp arrangement sustained extensive damage, and other wharf structures sustained minor damage. After inspection and repairs accepted by the flag State and classification society, the ferry returned to service on 17 January.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2016-01-13 06:00 local | Spirit of Tasmania II berthed at Station Pier after arriving from Devonport. |
| 2016-01-13 17:30 local | Passenger boarding began. |
| 2016-01-13 17:53 local | Wind reached nearly 60 knots and the ferry's stern moved off the wharf as mooring lines began to part. |
| 2016-01-13 17:59 local | The ferry lay at right angles to Station Pier, parallel to the nearby beach. |
| 2016-01-13 18:09 local | The first assisting tug was made fast to the ferry's stern. |
| 2016-01-13 18:26 local | A second tug began assisting. |
| 2016-01-13 19:05 local | The ferry was made fast alongside Station Pier again. |
| 2016-01-17 | Spirit of Tasmania II returned to service. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm gusts | Reported | The ATSB's preliminary information showed that a band of severe thunderstorms crossed Station Pier with comparatively little notice and produced gusts of nearly 60 knots at the ship. |
| Unattended bridge during the port stay | Reported | The ATSB reported that no crew on the unattended bridge saw indicators of the approaching storm until immediately before the breakaway. The preliminary report did not determine this to be a final causal finding. |
Investigation
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau published Breakaway of Spirit of Tasmania II, Station Pier, Port Melbourne, Victoria, 13 January 2016 as a preliminary report on 18 April 2016. It documented the occurrence and the evidence obtained at that stage, but explicitly contained no analysis or findings because the investigation was ongoing. The ATSB stated that its continuing investigation would examine weather events, preparations and procedures of TT-Line and the ship, mooring arrangements and equipment, Port of Melbourne procedures, Bureau of Meteorology forecasting, and the distribution of weather warnings among port users.