Classification
- Incident Type: Collision
- Severity: High
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | CSL Virginia |
| Other Vessel | Ulysse |
| Vessel Type | CSL Virginia: Container ship; Ulysse: Ro-Ro vessel |
| Flag State | CSL Virginia: Cyprus [CY]; Ulysse: Tunisia |
| IMO Number | CSL Virginia: 9289568; Ulysse: 9142459 |
| MMSI | 212416000 (CSL Virginia) |
| Call Sign | 5BEG4 |
| Gross Tonnage | CSL Virginia: 54592; Ulysse: 17907 |
| LOA (m) | CSL Virginia: 294.16; Ulysse: 161.5 |
| Year Built | CSL Virginia delivered 2005; Ulysse delivered 1997 |
| Crew Size | CSL Virginia: 24; Ulysse: not stated in reviewed sections |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2018-10-07 |
| Time | 07:02 local time |
| Location | Off Cap Corse |
| Region | Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | 43.248333, 9.478333 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Key facts
- CSL Virginia was anchored about 15 nautical miles north of Cap Corse, near the Corsica Channel traffic separation scheme precautionary area.
- Ulysse was proceeding toward Rades at about 19 knots on its Genoa-Tunis route.
- Ulysse struck CSL Virginia nearly perpendicularly on the container ship's starboard beam.
- Fuel oil from CSL Virginia's starboard fuel tank 3 entered its hold and was projected onto Ulysse's bow.
- About 520 cubic metres of oil pollution was reported; response operations continued until 12 November 2018.
- Ulysse later returned to Tunisia and CSL Virginia later sailed toward Turkey after changes of name and flag.
Narrative
CSL Virginia was anchored off Cap Corse on 7 October 2018 after a shipyard period in Genoa, waiting for charter orders. The Cyprus-flagged container ship was light and had been at the anchorage for 13 days. Ulysse, a Tunisian-flagged Ro-Ro vessel operating between Genoa and Tunis, was proceeding toward Rades at about 19 knots.
During the approach, Ulysse's bridge watch did not maintain an effective visual or radar lookout for about an hour. The officer of the watch used a mobile phone for personal calls and chats and relied on a short look at ECDIS and AIS information. CSL Virginia was visible on radar and carried anchor and deck lights, but its bridge watch also did not adequately monitor the surrounding traffic. Its master was making a personal mobile-phone call shortly before the collision.
At about 07:02, Ulysse struck CSL Virginia nearly perpendicularly on the container ship's starboard beam around bays 23 to 25. The impact breached a fuel tank on CSL Virginia. Fuel oil entered the hold and was projected onto Ulysse's bow, producing a major pollution response involving French and Italian authorities, RAMOGEPOL, and the maritime ORSEC plan.
There were no fatalities or injuries. Ulysse separated from CSL Virginia on 11 October and later returned to Tunisia without assistance. CSL Virginia later sailed toward Turkey after being renamed Virgin Star and reflagged to Liberia. BEAmer concluded that the collision resulted from a major lack of lookout on Ulysse, combined with the legal but unwise anchoring position of CSL Virginia and insufficient traffic monitoring by that vessel.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2018-09-24 | CSL Virginia was ordered to anchor north of Cap Corse. |
| 2018-10-07 before 07:02 | Ulysse approached the anchorage at about 19 knots while the bridge watch failed to maintain effective lookout. |
| 2018-10-07 07:02 | Ulysse struck anchored CSL Virginia on its starboard beam. |
| 2018-10-07 after impact | Fuel oil entered the sea and pollution-response plans were activated. |
| 2018-10-11 | Ulysse separated from CSL Virginia and later returned to Tunisia. |
| 2018-11-12 | Pollution-control operations continued through this date. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of lookout on Ulysse | Confirmed finding | BEAmer found that the officer of the watch did not maintain an effective visual or radar lookout before the collision. |
| Mobile-phone distraction | Confirmed finding | Personal phone use on both vessels took precedence over watchkeeping and traffic monitoring. |
| AIS reliance | Confirmed finding | Ulysse's watch used AIS and a short ECDIS check without obtaining the complete collision-risk picture required by the rules. |
| Unwise anchoring position | Confirmed finding | CSL Virginia's anchorage was legal but exposed to close traffic and left the vessel unable to manoeuvre quickly. |
| Insufficient anchor-watch monitoring | Confirmed finding | CSL Virginia did not adequately monitor nearby traffic or take timely warning action. |
Investigation
BEAmer investigated the casualty with Cyprus, Italy, and Tunisia. It concluded that the collision was caused by a major lack of lookout on Ulysse, combined with the legal but unwise anchoring position and insufficient traffic monitoring on CSL Virginia. The report states that about 520 cubic metres of fuel oil polluted the sea but does not provide monetary estimates for direct damage, cleanup, or wider economic loss.