Independent investigation into the fatality on board the Australian registered floating storage and offloading tanker Karratha Spirit, off Dampier, Western Australia, on 24 December 2008

Executive summary

At about 1815 on 24 December 2008, the Australian registered floating storage and offloading tanker, Karratha Spirit, began disconnecting from its mooring buoy at the Legendre Oil Field, about 60 miles north of Dampier, Western Australia, because of an approaching tropical cyclone.

The master was on the forecastle, directly controlling the operation. Before the mooring hawsers could be released from the ship, the import hose drifted under the hawsers and he ordered the main engine to be run astern for about 1 minute in an attempt to pull the hose clear. At about 1954, after the wire suspending the oil import hose parted suddenly, the master ordered the crew to finish letting go the hawser pickup lines so that the ship could depart the mooring buoy.

An integrated rating applied the port winch drum's brake to stop the drum moving and then stepped between the cheeks of the drum to cut the lashing that held the end of the heavy hawser pick line on the drum. At about 1958, when the lashing parted, the last three turns of heavy line rapidly unwound from the drum, striking the rating on the head and throwing him under the winch drum. He died as a result of his injuries.

The ATSB investigation found the procedures for connecting and disconnecting from the mooring buoy had not always been followed and that the difference between the procedures and shipboard practice had not been identified during any shipboard review and the risks associated with this amended practice had not been assessed.

The investigation also found that it is possible, under some circumstances, that facilities like Karratha Spirit can fall outside the jurisdiction of the safety regulators. The report issues one recommendation and one safety advisory notice to address these safety issues.