Familiarisation and drills

Training of new personnel on board Matthew Flinders III did not adequately cover the use of the different steering modes. Additionally, drills were not conducted in line with regulatory requirements, which meant critical crew had not participated in any steering drills. Training and drills focused on hydraulic failures and did not include the use of the emergency toggles nor practice local control in the engine room. These elements likely contributed to the lack of systems knowledge among the ship’s crew, resulting in an incorrect response to the failure. 

Bass Strait Freight has updated its familiarisation checklists and introduced closer oversight and competency checks by experienced personnel, which should adequately address the safety issue.