Communication failures on a cargo ship offshore from Tauranga led three crew to be “sent into a dangerous area” where one was hit by machinery and seriously injured, an investigation has found.

The newly released Transport Accident Investigation Commission report said Panama-registered bulk carrier Poavosa Brave was at anchor outside the Tauranga Harbour preparing to load logs when the accident happened on June 23 last year.

Crew were using an onboard crane when the ship began to roll, and the swinging crane block struck the victim.

The injured crewman, who sustained “very serious” injuries, was airlifted to Tauranga Hospital then transferred to Auckland Hospital the next day.

Why the accident happened

The report, which did not name crew members involved, said at 7am the day of the accident, the vessel’s master told the bosun (deck crew supervisor) weather and sea conditions were unsuitable for the deck crew to use the crane to hoist the stanchions - collapsible verticle posts that secure logs on the main deck.

The master told the bosun the job could be done after the vessel berthed at the Port of Tauranga.

By 1.30pm the weather had eased and the bosun decided to train the crew on using the onboard cranes to hoist stanchions. He failed to tell the chief officer or master despite needing the master’s permission to drive the crane.

Starboard main deck beside a hatch, facing towards the bow of the bulk carrier The Poavosa Brave on which a crewman was seriously injured on June 23, 2023. Photo / TAIC

The bosun briefed the crew on his plan then went to drive the crane.

He planned to have the crew unhook the stanchion pull wire after the crane hook was landed on the deck next to a hatch, but the hook landed on top of the hatch.

On hearing the crane operating, the chief officer ran on to the deck to tell the crew to stop their unsafe work.

The stanchions, however, were already upright and secured, with the final task to unhook the pull wire.

As the bosun started to reposition the hook, the chief officer ordered three deck crew, including the victim, to climb up to the hatch top and unhook the pull wire.

The two senior officers did not communicate with each other.

As the crew were climbing up the the hatch top, the vessel began to roll on a sea swell. Two of the three managed to run out of reach of the swinging crane block but the third was hit and pushed back into the structure.

The victim was moved to safety and wrapped in blankets and a coat as his colleagues gave first aid until an Auckland-based rescue helicopter arrived and winched him aboard.

The nature of his injuries was not described in the report.

Investigation findings

The commission’s report said it was “very unlikely” the accident would have happened if the bosun had communicated the intention to erect the stanchions to the chief officer and ship’s master.

Because the bosun and the chief officer did not talk to each other on the deck, the chief officer “inadvertently sent the crew into a dangerous area”.

“Those responsible officers could have prohibited the work or ensured everyone knew what they should do to stay safe,” the report said.

The bosun, chief officer and master all had more than a decade’s experience at sea.

There were “significant lessons” to be learned from this accident, the report said, including the need to follow lines of authority and responsibility as not doing so could compromise safety.

The vessel’s owner, Wisdom Marine, did an internal investigation and issued a fleet circular to raise awareness of the accident. All crew members were required to discuss the lessons learned at safety committee meetings.

The Poavosa Bravo crew also had extra training in risk assessment.

The injured crew member was repatriated to China for ongoing hospital care and recovery on August 9 last year, the report said.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.