B SAFE Onboard Safety BSAFE INCIDENT CASE STUDY 16: HEAVY WEATHER LEADING TO A FATALITY ON THE FORECASTLE DECK Published: 6 July 2022 A FULLY CELLULAR 1,400 TEU / 25,000 GT CONTAINER SHIP WAS ON A VOYAGE FROM MELBOURNE TO FREEMANTLE, AUSTRALIA, WHEN WATER WAS FOUND IN AN UNDERDECK PASSAGE. IT TRANSPIRED THAT DURING HEAVY WEATHER THE HATCH ACCESS LID ON THE FORECASTLE DECK LEADING TO THE FORECASTLE STORE HAD BEEN RIPPED OFF AND DUMPED ON THE WINDLASS, ALLOWING WATER INGRESS INTO THE FORECASTLE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RIG A TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT TO STOP FURTHER WATER INGRESS, A LARGE WAVE CRASHED ONTO THE FORECASTLE DECK, INJURING THREE CREW MEMBERS. THE CHIEF OFFICER WAS SEVERELY INJURED AND SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES BEFORE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FROM ASHORE COULD ARRIVE. WHAT HAPPENED While on passage across the Great Australian Bight from Melbourne to Freemantle, the ship encountered heavy weather. The weather had deteriorated during the previous night as a front passed over, necessitating a reduction in the main engine speed. At the time of the incident a Beaufort Force 7 (28 – 33 knots) wind was blowing with a very rough sea and a long, heavy swell. The vessel was riding the weather well and only occasionally shipping spray forwards. At 0800 the captain, following a discussion with the chief officer and third officer, felt that the weather was getting slightly better and there was no need to restrict access to the main deck. However, the third officer had previously in­structed the watchkeeping able bodied seafarer (AB), who was also working on stencilling the ship’s new name on the lifebuoys, not to do any work on the forecastle. At 0800 the second engineer reported by tele­phone to the chief officer on the bridge that he could see sunlight in the forecastle store, coming through the access hatch on the forecastle deck. This had been discovered following the elec­trician, when proceeding to the cargo holds to check on the refrigerated containers, reporting the presence