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Accidents

Pothitos III (2022)

Pothitos III foundered at Patmos on 21 October 2022 while assisting the departure of Azamara Journey. The tug struck the cruise vessel after its mooring line tensioned, heeled almost 90 degrees to starboard, and sank. The tug's skipper died and its engineer survived. HBMCI has issued an interim report; the final causal analysis remains ongoing.

Classification

  • Incident type: Sinking
  • Severity: High
  • Region: Mediterranean Sea
  • Investigation body: Hellenic Bureau for Marine Casualties Investigation (HBMCI)

Vessel Details

VesselTypeFlagIMOGross tonnageLOA (m)Persons on board
Pothitos IIITugGreece [GR]92486175016.892
Azamara JourneyPassenger cruise vesselMalta920094030277180.45986

The tug's stated minimum safe manning was three. The HBMCI report records that only the skipper and engineer were aboard during the assistance operation.

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date2022-10-21
Time21:37:11 local time
LocationPort of Patmos Island, Greece
Coordinates37° 19′ 347″ N / 26° 32′ 959″ E
RegionMediterranean Sea
Fatalities1
Injuries0
Missing0

Key facts

  • Pothitos III received a mooring line from Azamara Journey's bow at about 21:21. The line was secured to the tug's bitt rather than to the quick-release hook.
  • The tug was carrying its skipper and engineer; its able seafarer was absent, and not all watertight deck openings had been closed and secured.
  • The line tensioned as Azamara Journey moved ahead. Pothitos III struck the cruise vessel at 21:35:34, heeled almost 90 degrees to starboard, and sank completely at 21:37:11 after the line parted.
  • The engineer was rescued from a small rigid inflatable boat by Azamara Journey's fast rescue boat. Divers later recovered the skipper from the wreck. Both people aboard the tug are therefore accounted for.
  • The HBMCI damage table records the tug as foundered and Azamara Journey as having minor deformations and scratches. A separate financial damage estimate is not provided.

Narrative

Pothitos III was operating as a port tug at Patmos and sailed before 21:21 on 21 October 2022 to assist Azamara Journey's departure. Only the skipper and engineer were aboard, although the tug's stated minimum safe manning was three. The HBMCI interim report also records that not all watertight deck openings were closed and secured before the operation.

At about 21:21:30, the tug received a mooring line lowered from Azamara Journey's forward Panama chock. The engineer brought the approximately 23 m line on deck and, following the skipper's instructions, secured it to the bitt rather than to the hook with a quick-release mechanism. The tug moved clear of the cruise vessel's bow and waited for instructions. At 21:23:24, the skipper confirmed that the tug was ready and was told that the master would give the order to pull.

Azamara Journey began moving away from the dock at about 21:32. At 21:34:10, the master called the tug in English and ordered it to start pulling. HBMCI suggests that the skipper did not receive this order, after which the line became slack while the cruise vessel's stern contacted the dock. As Azamara Journey moved ahead and increased speed, the line tensioned and pulled the tug toward the cruise vessel.

The skipper attempted to manoeuvre clear, but Pothitos III struck Azamara Journey at 21:35:34 and began listing to starboard. The cruise vessel continued to drag the listed tug, which reached an angle of almost 90 degrees. The line parted at 21:36:34, the tug turned nearly vertical, and it sank completely at 21:37:11. The engineer reached a small rigid inflatable boat released as the tug sank and was recovered by Azamara Journey's fast rescue boat. The skipper remained aboard and was later recovered by divers. Pothitos III was recovered on 14 December 2022.

Sequence of events

TimeEvent
Before 21:21Pothitos III sailed from Patmos to assist Azamara Journey's departure.
21:21:30The tug received Azamara Journey's bow line, which was secured to the bitt rather than the quick-release hook.
21:23:24The skipper confirmed readiness and was told to await the order to pull.
21:34:10Azamara Journey's master called in English for the tug to start pulling; HBMCI suggests the order was not received.
21:35:34Pothitos III struck Azamara Journey and began listing to starboard.
21:36:34The mooring line parted.
21:37:11Pothitos III sank completely.
2022-12-14The tug was recovered.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence statusDescription
CommunicationReportedHBMCI identifies communication as a factor under analysis and suggests that the skipper did not receive the English-language order to pull.
Tug manningReportedTwo people were aboard although the stated minimum safe manning was three; HBMCI lists manning levels among the factors under analysis.
Line and watertight arrangementsReportedThe line was secured to the bitt rather than the quick-release hook, and not all watertight deck openings were closed and secured.

Investigation

HBMCI issued an interim report under Article 16.2 of Greek Law 4033/2011. The report states that the safety-investigation analysis was still ongoing and that the data may change before the final report. It identifies communication, tug specifications, manning, watertight openings, and the line connection as matters for further analysis, but does not present final causal findings or safety recommendations.

The Baird Maritime article is secondary. It confirms the fatal tug sinking and two-person crew, but describes an arrival/mooring operation and gives a sinking time of about 06:40 local time. Those details conflict with the HBMCI interim report's departure-assistance account and 21:37:11 sinking time; the HBMCI report is used for the page's primary timeline.

References

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