98015 Safe Passage for VLCC
Safe Passage for VLCC
Singapore Strait.
Report No. 98015.
The passage of a loaded VLCC through the Malacca and Singapore Straits isa lengthy and carefully planned operation. The level of risk is increaseddue to many factors including:
- The traffic density
- Proliferation of fishing and other small vessels
- Draught and under keel clearance
- Tidal streams
- Length of operation
- Manoeuvrability and ability to evade actions (or inactions) of other vessels.
The passage of my vessel drawing 20.6m on an even keel with crude oilfrom Saudi Arabia was planned for the end of last year. The above itemsof increased risk were included in the passage plan together with the additionof a passage pilot for the transit. This increases the safety by introducingan extra member to the bridge team who has a large amount of experienceand local knowledge.
We reported to VTIS West (Singapore) at the correct point and were closelyfollowing our plan to arrive at the various points with suitable UKC whilstobserving the controlling 12 knot speed limit. Additionally, our vesselwas on the published NAVTEX VLCC list which is promulgated to all vesselsin the region.
Arrival at the "Brothers" region was well into the night andwe were engulfed by a mass of fishing boats in the TSS. To my disgust andfrustration, these craft not only denied my vessel safe passage (our constraineddraught was indicated by the required signal) but also directed extremelypowerful spot lights into the wheelhouse to urge us to "get out oftheir space". I was therefore forced to manoeuvre the loaded VLCC aroundand through these vessels whilst attempting not to confuse other, largervessels in the system. This continued all the way to racon "Delta"where the second, very common, chapter occurred.
The deep water lane starts at this point and progresses to the east inthe eastbound lane. The best way to competently enter this lane in a verydeep VLCC is to move to the west prior to making the turn to port and executea controlled radius turn which will optimise the position in the deep lane.As the VLCCs are restricted to 12 knots, it is common for other vessels,with no understanding of the enormous consequences of their actions, todecide to "slip inside" to port and block the prepared turn ofthe VLCC. This, as usual, occurred, with a container vessel deciding thathe could not slow down to wait. He had not reported to VTIS so we were leftto use the Aldis lamp until he answered. He had no idea of what type orsize of vessel he was blocking and duly altered to starboard and passed0.1nm on our starboard side! This then allowed us a clear entry into thedeep water lane.
The third chapter was a really "close call". At the BuffaloRock area, the separation zone becomes extremely narrow, by necessity, andtherefore puts the eastbound and westbound traffic rather close together.There are two augmentations to this:
- the deep water eastbound lane is directly adjacent to westbound traffic
- the tidal flow from Singapore southern and eastern boarding regions pushes the westbound traffic towards the eastbound deep water route.
Our friend the containership had passed by but still not identified withVTIS west or east. Unbeknown to me he was to take a Singapore Pilot at theeastern boarding ground "Bravo" and he was early. Of course hehad forgotten about us and decided to move out of the general eastboundlane and STOP in the exit of the deep water route, right on our starboardbow. As he was not answering his VHF or registered with VTIS, we were unableto contact him by any means. The Aldis was, this time, ineffective as hewas not looking astern and he did not react to our flashes. The CPA waszero in 17 minutes. We could not go to starboard due to insufficient water.We could not stop in the distance and to go to port would have put us intothe westbound traffic. VTIS eventually identified the vessel through thepilot who was ready to board her.
I have been fortunate to attend a BRM course in Stockholm. One vitalpoint which I learnt was not to become preoccupied with a single problemñ all of the bridge team were quite preoccupied with this developingsituation. At a distance of less than 2nm we saw a westbound ballasted VLCCon a collision course on our port bow. VTIS saw the close quarters situationat the same time. Fortunately they had plotted the VLCC and notified himof the situation. He had also not "seen" us apparently due toback scatter. He did not realise that he was out of his lane. By this time,the container vessel had removed himself from our starboard bow and theVLCC had made a major alteration to avoid our mid body. His stern was drawnto our side as a result of interaction, I had only previously witnessedthis phenomena between manned models on a lake!
Our Chief Engineer was on the bridge at the time and he made a very meaningfulobservation. The back scatter of lights had made the approaching VLCC invisibleto us and vice versa. At such a close range his masthead and sidelightswere meaningless and devoid of any rational identification, On closer scrutinythe most visible vessels were the colourfully decorated casino ships inthe Straits. The signals for a vessel constrained by her draught exhibitedby a VLCC are quite insignificant compared to the size of the vessels. Manystories are heard of other vessels attempting to sail in between the steaminglights of a VLCC. Were VLCCs envisaged when the lights and shapes for powerdriven vessels were designed? I learnt many lessons that night and I hopethat some more rational solutions are designed for the safe passage of VLCCsthrough the Singapore Straits - like a patrol escorted convoy for instance.