Inspection Detail

Inspection: 110132370 - Indusco South Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Jacksonville Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on March 6, 1993, a work crew arrived at the M/V OOCL Innovation. The employer had been contracted to change the vessel's uphaul and downhaul cables along with the fore and aft pendants on the #1 starboard lifeboat, manufactured by Schat Watercraft, serial #EL24-827. The pendants and uphaul and downhaul cables, once removed, would allow the lifeboat to free fall if the gripes (wire ropes that laterally hold the lifeboat in place) were released. The foreman had the workers install a chain come-along between the fore and aft davits and the fore and aft attachment points on the lifeboat (two come-alongs, one fore and one aft). The forward come-along was lost in the river at the time of the accident, the aft one was secured at the scene by the Coast Guard and its capacity was only one ton. The lifeboat weighed 7,000 lb. This meant that the aft come-along's capacity was exceeded by 1,500 lb. Once the gripes are released, the weight of the boat causes the davits to free fall. The uphaul and downhaul cables were removed for replacement along with the fore and aft pendants. At time of the accident, the forward pendant had been replaced but the forward come-along was still holding the weight of the front half of the boat since the uphaul and downhaul cables were still not in place. The crew was replacing the aft pendant, but it was giving them problems because it was slightly too short and the latch on the lifeboat would, therefore, not lock. The foreman and Employee #1 were on top of the lifeboat at this point. The foreman was frustrated by the fact that the pendant was just barely too short and he felt that if he could get some slack he could get the hook latched. A coworker released the gripe to provide some slack. As soon as the gripe was released, both davits deployed and the boat separated from the davits, falling toward the river. The shock loading on the come-alongs, when the davits reached their stops, caused them to fail. With nothing other than the come-alongs to support it, the lifeboat separated from the ship and fell into the river. The foreman and Employee #1 also fell into the river. The foreman was rescued by the occupants of a nearby pleasure craft, but Employee #1 drowned.

Keywords: REPAIR, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, OVERLOADED, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, SHIP, FALL, DROWN, WINCH, WATER