At about 1045 on 10 May 2007, the bulk carrier Enterprise
grounded briefly as it was being manoeuvred in the confined waters
of Grassy Harbour, King Island, Tasmania. The ship was under the
conduct of the pilot, who was following the pilotage plan he
usually used for the ship when it called at the port.
Prior to the ship's entry to the port, its after draught had
been reduced to 5.0 m so that a minimum under keel clearance of 0.5
m could be maintained alongside the berth. At that draught, the
ship's controllable pitch propeller was not fully submerged.
However, neither the pilot nor the master adequately considered the
effect that the reduced draught would have on the efficiency of the
propeller and therefore, the ship's manoeuvrability.
While manoeuvring off the berth, the pilot was forced to
maintain astern pitch for longer than he had planned. As a result,
the ship was subjected to the effects of the propeller's transverse
thrust on its stern for longer. The transverse thrust combined with
the starboard thrust of the bow thruster, which was being used to
maintain the ship's heading, resulted in the ship moving bodily to
starboard and grounding on rocks at the southern end of the main
breakwater. The ship's propeller was damaged but Enterprise was not
disabled. No pollution resulted from the grounding.
The ATSB has issued one recommendation to address a safety issue
identified in the report.
Marine Safety Recommendations
[MR20090001]
