At about 2102 on 21 January 2008, the Australian fishing vessel
Allena collided with Northern Fortune, an Antigua
and Barbuda registered container ship, off the Queensland coast.
The fishing vessel's bow was badly damaged but the crew were able
to control the ingress of water and return the vessel to Bowen,
Queensland, its home port.
The investigation determined that the lookout on board both
Allena and Northern Fortune was ineffective and
that neither vessel's watch keeper saw the other vessel in
sufficient time to avoid the collision.
Additionally, the fishing vessel was not required to be fitted
with an Automatic Information System (AIS) unit or a radar
reflector and, consequently, it may have been difficult for the
ship's third mate to detect the fishing vessel electronically.
After the collision, Northern Fortune's third mate did
not stop to render assistance or ensure that the fishing vessel and
its crew were safe because he claimed that he believed a collision
had not occurred, only a close quarters passing.
The ATSB investigation report also found that the Queensland
regulations for fishing vessel certificates of competency are
ambiguous and are not consistent with current national standards.
The regulations allowed Allen's skipper to operate the
vessel up to 200 miles from the coast without appropriate training
in navigation or the application of the collision regulations.
The ATSB has issued one recommendation and two safety advisory
notices to address these safety issues.
Marine safety recommendations
[MO-2008-001-SR-028]
Marine safety advisory notices
[MO-2008-001-SAN-027]
[MO-2008-001-SAN-029]
