 has published its preliminary assessment of the grounding of the general… ){kind=link}
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its preliminary assessment of the grounding of the general cargo vessel Baltic Arrow which ran aground on June 25, 2024 near New Dyke Farm on the River Nene while enroute to Wisbech, England.
Baltic Arrow had set sail from Riga, Latvia, carrying a cargo of timber. The day before the grounding, the vessel anchored at the Wisbech anchorage off the east coast of England. At 0540 the following day, Baltic Arrow weighed anchor and proceeded to the pilot station where two pilots boarded at 0700. The master and the two pilots completed a brief master/pilot exchange before pilot A, who was under assessment by the senior pilot (pilot B), took the helm. The master and pilot B remained on the bridge but, aside from monitoring the passage, did not have specific roles within the bridge team.
At 0814, Baltic Arrow passed the Cross Keys swing bridge, and pilot A began to reduce the vessel’s speed in preparation for the berthing maneuver. At 0847, pilot A noticed that the vessel was slightly to port of the planned track. Pilot A applied 30° starboard helm and ‘kicked’ the main engine ahead to correct the vessel’s position in the narrow channel. Baltic Arrow’s bow quickly swung to…