The Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) which registers and investigates all types of marine casualties on board or with the involvement of German flagged ships world-wide, has announced the publication of the summary investigation report 421/22 on 31 July 2024. The report deals with the grounding of the Gibraltar-flagged tanker Sten Arnold in the Elbe fairway on August 21, 2022.
The loaded tanker Sten Arnold of 16,578 dwt, built in 2008, was en route to Hamburg when it ran aground on a previously unknown shoal near buoy 63 in the Elbe fairway under pilotage.
With a draught of 8.55 metres, the Sten Arnold was not dependent on the dredged navigation channel.
The ship came free with the next tide without assistance and suffered no damage.
The BSU’s investigation focussed on the causes of shoals on the Elbe and the measures taken by the shipping administration to detect and eliminate them.
In its summary investigation report, the Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) concluded that “running aground in the fairway near buoy 63 on the River Elbe came as a complete surprise to the crew of the Sten Arnold.”
Moreover, the pilot had no way of averting the incident, as the more detailed navigational chart in his PPU did not contain any information about it, either, the BSU says.
According to the BSU report, responsible for maintaining the fairway with its organisational unit WSA Elbe-Nordsee, which is in charge of the River Elbe up to the North Sea, the GDWS was also surprised by the development of the shoal.
“Despite many years of experience with sediment transport in the River Elbe, this rapid development was unexpected,” the report by the Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) revealed.
The full report is available for download here.
Source: Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU).
