202546 Ro-ro loading fatality

As edited from MCIB (Ireland) report 273

A ro-ro vessel was in port and crew were loading trailers. A Terberg tractor unit (four-wheel drive truck type) is used to pull 40-foot trailers onto the vessel and to place them in position for the voyage. They are then secured for transit. The Terberg tractor, often referred to as a Tugmaster, is a specialised piece of equipment where the driver can rotate the seat through 180 degrees to face the direction of travel. In this instance, the Tugmaster used the port side ramp from deck three to deck five. On deck five, the load was reversed into position with a crew member guiding the driver.

The driver had restricted vision when reversing due to the size of the trailer. The guide used a whistle to signal to the tractor driver that the load was in position. The safety procedures called for the guide to position himself on the right-hand side of the load, standing in the safety zone provided by the adjacent ventilator shaft.

As the driver reversed, he had to place his head out of the side window of the tractor to maximise his range of vision. His seat was rotated to face aft and he reported that he did not hear the whistle telling him to stop. There were no other factors identified that could have distracted the driver from his task of placing the trailer in position.

Something caused the crewmember guiding, an experienced seafarer, to move directly behind the load he was directing into place. He was crushed and died from his injuries. The investigation found, among other, that the victim’s blood alcohol level was significant.

Lessons learned

• Loading trailers is a particularly hazardous job under the best of conditions. Several deaths have occurred on ro-ro carriers while undertaking guiding operations. Having an elevated blood alcohol level while guiding a load is a ridiculously foolhardy gesture that the victim paid for with his life.  

As edited from MCIB (Ireland) report 273: