Classification
- Incident Type: Collision
- Severity: Medium
- Tug involvement: no
- Tug mechanism: N/A
Casualty Investigation Report
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | British Cygnet |
| Vessel Type | Tanker |
| Flag State | Isle of Man [IM] |
| IMO Number | 9297345 |
| Gross Tonnage | 63462 |
| LOA (m) | 241.08 |
| Breadth (m) | |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 2004 |
| Crew Size | 24 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2006-12-02 |
| Location | Deep water channel north of Fynshoved, Denmark |
| Coordinates | |
| Region | Baltic Sea |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | |
| Cargo Loss | |
| Direct Damage | |
| Estimated Economic Damage | |
| Insured Loss | |
| Salvage/Cleanup Cost |
Key facts
- Vera became the give-way vessel after re-entering the deep water channel and failed to take effective avoiding action in good time.
- At 11:38:49 UTC, Vera's bow struck British Cygnet amidships on the port side at an angle of approximately 60 degrees leading aft.
- British Cygnet's two port-side water ballast tanks were breached; its empty, inerted cargo tanks were not breached.
- Vera's stem, bulbous bow, and upper side shell were damaged. The report found no steering or propulsion-system defect after survey.
- No injuries or pollution were reported. The report does not provide a monetary damage estimate.
Narrative
On 2 December 2006, British Cygnet was proceeding in ballast from Rotterdam to Fredericia to load crude oil, with two pilots on board for the Skagen-Fredericia transit. Vera was on passage from Arhus to Bremerhaven on a container feeder service. At about 1130 UTC both vessels entered the buoyed channel north of Fynshoved, with British Cygnet southbound and Vera northbound.
Vera entered the channel from the south-west at 11.34.45 UTC but did not remain within it, passing out over the southern boundary. At about 1137 UTC Vera altered to port to re-enter the deep water channel. British Cygnet sounded five short and rapid blasts and attempted VHF contact, but communication was not established. Vera re-entered across the southern boundary and continued crossing the channel. At 11.38.49 UTC Vera's bow struck British Cygnet amidships on the port side at an angle of approximately 60 degrees leading aft.
There were no injuries and no pollution. British Cygnet's two port-side water ballast tanks were breached, while the empty and inerted cargo tanks were not breached. Vera's stem, bulbous bow, and upper side shell were damaged. A later survey found no steering or propulsion-system defect on Vera; the report attributed the loss of steerage to the second officer's manoeuvre of applying hard starboard rudder while reducing pitch, with wind and tidal current also impeding the turn.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2006-12-02 about 11:30 UTC | British Cygnet and Vera entered the buoyed channel north of Fynshoved, southbound and northbound respectively. |
| 2006-12-02 about 11:37 UTC | Vera passed outside the channel's southern boundary and altered to port to re-enter. |
| 2006-12-02 11:38:49 UTC | Vera's bow struck British Cygnet amidships on the port side. |
| 2006-12-02 after the collision | The crews mustered and assessed damage; Vera proceeded at minimum speed to anchor. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Vera's re-entry across the channel | Confirmed finding | The report identified Vera's re-entry as the primary reason for the collision. |
| Ineffective avoiding action | Confirmed finding | Vera did not take effective action in good time after becoming the give-way vessel. |
| Loss of steerage during manoeuvring | Confirmed finding | The report attributed the loss of steerage to ship-handling actions, with wind and tidal current also impeding the turn, not to a machinery defect. |
| Bridge resource and VHF weaknesses | Confirmed finding | Poor bridge resource use and ineffective communication reduced the vessels' ability to coordinate avoiding action. |
Investigation
The Isle of Man Ship Registry investigated the casualty in Report CA102. It concluded that Vera's re-entry into the channel was the primary reason for the collision and identified failures in COLREG application, bridge resource management, ship handling, and VHF communication. The report records no injuries or pollution and gives no economic damage estimate.