Mix-up, phone distraction led to ships’ collision
Mismanagement and mobile phone distraction contributed to a collision between a container ship and the iconic sailing ship Leeuwin II, causing serious damage and injuring two crew members.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau published its report into the August 2024 incident on Monday, just days after the 1850s-style sailing training ship returned to the Port of Fremantle following extensive repairs.
The 333-metre Singapore-flagged Maersk Shekou was being driven towards Fremantle by two pilots and four tugboats in stormy and windy conditions when the collision occurred.
The transportation safety bureau found that the pilot did not instruct the helmsman to change course, the bridge crew did not adequately monitor the process, and the secondary pilot was “engaged in non-essential telephone activities during the critical phase of the crossing.”
Voice from the ship’s wheelhouse revealed that the rest of the bridge crew had failed to detect that the main pilot had not given the order to return to the inner port.
“With neither the pilot nor the ship’s bridge crew observing the helmsman’s movements, the primary pilot notified the secondary pilot that they were in trouble, resulting in the primary pilot ending the phone call at 6:15 a.m.,” the report said. The statement was included.
The bow of the container ship, carrying more than 4100 containers, struck Leeuwin and the ship’s stern crashed into a pier and the roof of the WA Maritime Museum.
The 55-metre Leeuwin broke apart and suffered major damage. Two crew members suffered minor injuries.
The container ship sustained minor damage, including a hull rupture.
Chief Superintendent Angus Mitchell said the transport safety bureau found that the ship’s bridge team, consisting of two pilots and the ship’s crew, had ineffectively implemented bridge resource management practices.
“A properly functioning bridge team requires all its members to have a common mental model for actively monitoring the ship’s progress,” Mr. Mitchell said.
The investigation revealed that the co-pilot was distracted from his responsibilities and made an unnecessary mobile phone call while the ship was passing through a critical area.
“This meant they… failed to establish that the chief pilot had not ordered a change of course and that the helmsman’s actions were contrary to the ship’s planned turn,” Mr Mitchell said.
In response to the findings, Ports of Fremantle updated its procedures and improved training and weather monitoring.
Following 14 months of refit costing millions of dollars, Leeuwin returned to Fremantle on 23 October and her sailing training program will resume in early 2026.
