Australia and Denmark disagree on crew fatigue

The report into a May 21 incident aboard the Danish-flagged general cargo ship, Thor Gitta, centred on the death of a seafarer who fell after he had tried to secure lashing bins in the cargo hold.

At the time, the ship was about 390 nautical miles northwest of Fremantle.

The investigation found that a risk analysis had not been undertaken before the bins were introduced into service and that the bins had been inadequately secured in an area where there were no dedicated lashing points.

It also found that the seafarer was probably affected by fatigue as a result of the duty roster and the ship's movement in the heavy seas.

"As a result of this accident, the ship's manager has implemented a range of measures on all its vessels to improve the security of bin lashing arrangements and manage the risks of carrying out tasks associated with operation of the bins," the ATSB said.

The company had also introduced a different rostering system to better manage the fatigue of watchkeepers when the ship was at sea.

The ATSB had issued one safety recommendation to the Danish Maritime Authority relating to the use of the six hours on/ six hours off work routine and the effect that such an arrangement had on a crew member's level of fatigue.

Denmark had ratified the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention 180 on seafarer work hours on ship, which allows such a routine.

The ATSB pointed out that the effect that a six hours on/six hours off roster has on a crew member’s level of fatigue had been considered at length in a number of studies undertaken since the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping and ILO requirements were introduced.

These included several conducted by the Cardiff University, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch, the International Transport Workers Federation and the University of Wellington for Maritime New Zealand. 

"It is reasonable to say that all these reports comment on the inability of this type of roster to effectively manage the fatigue levels of those working the roster, and that other systems of rosters (such as the four hours on/eight hours off) should be considered," ATSB said.

This position had been rejected by the Danes, who said the studies did not constitute proof, it added.