At about 0310 on 25 August 2007, while the research ship
Geosounder was about 185 miles northeast of Cairns,
Australia, en route from New Zealand to Singapore, an off-duty
integrated rating (IR) who was skylarking on deck while under the
influence of alcohol fell overboard. The crew immediately threw
lifebuoys into the water, stopped the ship and launched the fast
rescue craft (FRC) but the IR could not be located. While launching
the FRC to search for the missing man, another IR broke his
ankle.
After a search involving two ships and an aircraft, both
lifebuoys were recovered but no sign of the missing seaman was
found. In consultation with RCC, the master called off the search
at 1835 when it became too dark to continue. The master's decisions
to call off the search and take the injured crew member to Cairns
for treatment were reasonable considering the very low probability
of finding the missing man alive if the search was resumed on 26
August.
The ATSB found that while the Geoshipping safety management
system included a 'no alcohol' policy, it was not consistently and
effectively implemented on board the ship. The ATSB also found that
the haste of the crew to launch the fast rescue craft to locate the
missing man overboard resulted in the master and crew performing
tasks that they had not regularly practiced and they did not plan
or execute their tasks effectively. Consequently, the chief mate
drove the fast rescue craft ahead before it had been released from
its hoisting wire.
The ATSB has been advised that safety actions have been taken by
DOF Subsea and DOF Management (formerly Geoshipping) to address the
safety issues identified in the report. The report issues no
recommendations or safety advisory notices.
Download final report [
PDF: 350KB]