93018 Pilot Ladders, Hoists
Pilot Boarding Arrangements
- Report No. 93018.
This report concerns two separate cases where the arrangements for pilots boarding and landing were found to be not conforming to the requirements. Case 1 deals with the failure of a pilot hoist and happened to a pilot disembarking from a high sided vessel on the UK coast shortly before midnight.
All appeared to be normal as I was lowered down the ship's side, however, when I raised my hand for the operator to stop the winch, he either could not, or did not do so. Four or five rungs of the ladder were then dragging in the sea, with the result that the ladder was dragged aft. The ship's speed was six to seven knots, and the ladder was turned on several occasions resulting in my being "dunked" up to waist level for some ten minutes.
The pilot launch made two attempts to close in to offer me assistance, but there was too much sea to let him get close in with safety and I asked him to stand off. I understand that the Cox requested the Master to stop the ship and make a better lee. Once the way was off the ship, either the weight on the ladder was reduced, or the winch was repaired to allow the ladder to be winched up to the correct height. I was then able to turn it and get on to the launch in the normal manner.
The matter was reported to the vessel's owners who replied that the incident had been caused by failure of the guard frame to revert automatically to the operation position and the crew not being familiar with the operation of the equipment. The Pilot, along with other interested parties, was invited by the Company to inspect the operation of the gear on the vessel's next scheduled call to the U.K.
As the ship was port side to, the relevant hoist could not be tested. The starboard hoist was therefore used to lower the pilot to the waterline and it operated faultlessly. However, it was noticed that the manual hand wheel, which would be used for recovery in the event of a power failure, was firmly secured to the adjacent hatch coaming and painted over, it took ten minutes without tools to free this equipment. In the dark, with a pilot trapped in the hoist, this could have been serious. It appeared that the manual equipment had not been used or tested. The pilot then sailed with the ship to test the port hoist and reported that this was satisfactory.
Case 2 details the difficulties encountered by another pilot when disembarking from a high sided vessel in the dark.
A colleague and myself, prior to singling up, verified the freeboard and checked the accommodation ladder/pilot ladder arrangement with the Master, and that the accommodation ladder was leading aft. When clear of the port we proceeded to the head of the accommodation ladder. On disembarking we found that:-
a) The width of the accommodation ladder steps were so narrow as to make descent difficult for all but the slightest build of person.
b) The accommodation ladder steps were of rounded construction and difficult to stand on.
c) The lower platform was not horizontal.
d) The lower platform had neither stanchions nor handrails, making transference to a 31 rung pilot ladder a dangerous and difficult exercise.
e) The third lowest spreader of the pilot ladder appeared to be without triangular inserts or winnets, and was unsafe to stand on.
Once on the pilot boat, I contacted the Master of the vessel and listed the faults with the arrangement, laying particular stress on the dangerous lower platform of the accommodation ladder and the urgent need to correct the faults before the next port of call.
These details were passed on to the relevant Flag State authority. The authority answered with the following comments.
We found that the concern raised by the pilots was not totally unfounded, and we appreciate the hazards encountered by pilots during embarkation and disembarkation, particularly during the hours of darkness. We felt that the Master could have been more careful in his preparation of the pilot ladder and accommodation ladder to ensure they were in good condition. The officer in charge of the arrangements could have also exercised better supervision. We agree generally with the points raised by the pilots, but take exception to the points regarding the width and construction of the accommodation ladder.
The accommodation ladder is 17.5 inches wide which is sufficient for normal ascent and descent for the average person. We do not see anything wrong with the steps of the accommodation ladder being of rounded construction. Such a design offers many advantages over steps which are flat.
The following answer was given to the State Authority.
ISO 5488 - 1979 specifies a width of 600 mm (23.6 inches). There is no specification for step design. The "rounded" construction is common because it eliminates the need for a lever arrangement to keep the steps horizontal.