High potential near miss: passenger on a CTV narrowly avoided being crushed between vessels

What happened?

A passenger on a crew transfer vessel (CTV) climbed over the bulwark during a vessel-to-vessel manoeuvre, but narrowly avoided being crushed.

Whilst conducting routine crew transfer duties, a vessel was requested to return to a workboat it had just visited, as a passenger had forgotten his mobile telephone.  When the vessel got near the workboat, the passenger who had made the mistake rushed outside and climbed over the bulwark with one leg.  He thus put himself in a position where his leg could have been crushed as the two vessels came together.  The deckhand pulled the passenger to safety over the bulwark and onto the deck before the two vessels made contact, and thus the possibility of injury was averted.

What were the causes of the incident?

The passenger was feeling embarrassed by the need to alter the sailing schedule of the CTV due to his mistake in forgetting his mobile phone.  His haste and anxiety overrode his situational awareness.  Though the passenger was a trained seafarer, he acted outside of his normal behaviour and put himself in considerable danger.

What was the outcome?

A change in schedule or abnormal circumstances can cause those who are trained and experienced in a task to act unrecognisably or without consideration for risk.

The crew reinforced the correct procedure for transfer onboard and made it clear that passengers are requested to remain seated or within the recognised safe areas of the vessel until instructed to embark/disembark.

Members may wish to refer to:

• Unsafe attempt of personnel transfer between vessels
• High potential near miss: AB slipped over the side during mooring operations