Report 2014/08
Marine report 2014/08
A taxi boat and a leisure craft with four people on board collided outside Kragerø in the early hours of Saturday 27 July 2013. The taxi boat had disembarked passengers on a quay near Stabbestad and was underway to Kragerø for its last earlier booked trip.The taxi boat held a steady course and is likely to have maintained its normal service speed of 22 knots. At the same time, a leisure craft with four people on board left a guest marina in Kragerø heading for Skåtøy. The leisure craft had reached planing speed, and may have maintained a speed of 25-30 knots. The vessels are assumed to have remained on a direct collision course during the final 15-20 seconds before the accident.
The bow of the leisure craft hit the port side of the taxi boat with a high impact force. Three of the persons in the leisure craft were seriously injured in the collision. Two of them fell overboard and were later found deceased. None on board the leisure craft wore a life vest or any other buoyancy aid.
Neither skipper spotted each other soon enough to avoid the accident, within the 12-15 seconds of clear sight between the vessels. Several unfavorable and concurrent factors, including light sources ashore and in the fairway, may have influenced both skippers situational awareness and possibilities to spot each other in time. The taxi boat had a blind spot on own vessel's port side, partly covering the sight in the navigation channel towards the leisure craft. A defect on the taxi boat's port running light may have contributed for the leisure craft's skipper to not spot the approaching vessel on starboard.
The skipper of the leisure craft had consumed alcohol, and his blood alcohol level was most likely above 0.8 per thousand, at the time of the accident. This may have impacted several stages in the chain of events leading up to the accident. The investigation also points to certain risks concerning the operative running and technical deficiencies, concerning the taxi boat in question. The collective findings in the investigation indicate that safety related weaknesses may also be found on other taxi boats.
The AIBN proposes three safety recommendations following the investigation. These concern both the oversight of the taxi boat business and preventing operation of high speed leisure boats under the influence of alcohol.
Safety recommendation
Safety Recommendation MARINE No 2014/14T
The collision between the leisure craft and the taxi boat in Kragerø during the night to 27 July 2013 occurred as none of the helmsmen spotted the other vessel in time. The investigation found a defective light on the port side of the taxi boat, as well as risks related to the taxi boat helmsman’s navigation pattern and level of attention. The NMA’s inspection after the accident found additional deficiencies concerning the taxi boat’s technical condition and means of rescue. The AIBN believes that the collective findings in the investigation demonstrates weaknesses in the safety practice relating to the operation of the taxi boat in question. The investigation also suggests that these weaknesses may be found for other taxi boats operating the sea area around Kragerø.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Norwegian Maritime Authority carry out an inspection of the taxi boat business operating the sea area around Kragerø in order to clarify whether there is need to improving safety practices.
Safety Recommendation MARINE No 2014/15T
The fact that the helmsman of the leisure craft was under the influence of alcohol may have had an impact at several stages of the chain of events leading up to the accident in Kragerø on 27 July 2013. Research shows that alcohol weakens the functions (impulse control, attention, visual functions, assessment ability and alertness) that are required to ensure safe navigation. This means that operating a boat at high speed is incompatible with being under the influence of alcohol from a safety perspective. The AIBN believes that the current blood alcohol limit of 0.8 per thousand for pleasure craft of less than 15 metres does not make this clear.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Ministry of Justice and Public Security evaluate the Act relating to Leisure Boats and Small Craft with a view to preventing people from operating leisure boats at high speed when under the influence of alcohol.
Safety Recommendation MARINE No 2014/16T
The fact that the helmsman of the leisure craft was under the influence of alcohol may have had an impact at several stages of the chain of events leading up to the accident in Kragerø on 27 July 2013. Research shows that alcohol weakens the functions (impulse control, attention, visual functions, assessment ability and alertness) that are required to ensure safe navigation. This means that operating a boat at high speed is incompatible with being under the influence of alcohol from a safety perspective. The AIBN believes that a combination of legislation, control activity and information measures can give a collective and efficient influence on safety.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries review and implement measures that can contribute to preventing people from operating a leisure boat at high speed when under the influence of alcohol.
Facts
| Location | Near Galeiodden, Kragerø |
| Occurrence date | 27.07.2013 |
| Accident category | Collision |
| Area | Norwegian Territorial Waters |
| Name of vessel | Isabella / skjærgårdsjeep |
| Accident type | Fatal Accident, Collision |
| Vessel type | Misc. Ship / Misc. Ship |
| Register | The Norwegian Ship Register / Not registered |