Grounding of the offshore tug/supply Massive Tide

Executive summary

At 1400 on 28 August, Massive Tide departed Dampier with a load of bulk cargo for the drill rig Ensco 106. After clearing the berth, the master handed over the watch to the second mate who then remained in charge of the watch for the transit to the drill rig.

The master took over the watch when the ship reached the drill rig at 1950 and the second mate remained on the bridge to operate the bulk-board for the cargo transfer. After the completion of cargo operations, the master handed the watch back to the second mate and then went to bed.

At 0100 on 29 August, the ship departed the drill rig. The second mate checked the global positioning system (GPS) unit and then set the autopilot to follow a course of 129° (T). The weather was good with light winds, slight seas and visibility of about eight miles.

At 0200 and 0400, the second mate recorded the ship's GPS position in the deck logbook but did not plot either position on the navigational chart. At about 0400, the bridge lookouts changed watches, but the second mate decided to leave the chief mate in bed until the ship reached the Dampier Sea Buoy.

At 0445, Massive Tide was making good a speed of 9.8 knots when it grounded on the shoals approaching the western shore of Rosemary Island.

The crew were called out and checks of the ship, its machinery and the surrounding area revealed that no damage or pollution had occurred. Immediate attempts to refloat the ship were unsuccessful and plans were put in place to try again on the next high tide. At 1035, Massive Tide floated free without assistance.

The report identifies a number of contributing factors and makes recommendations to address them.