Findings from Finnpilot’s independent investigation into pilot vessel accident congruent with those of SIA
Finnpilot says the Safety Investigation Authority has published its report on the 8 December 2017 accident in Emäsalo in which a pilot vessel capsized and sank, resulting in the death of two pilot cutter operators employed by Finnpilot Pilotage. The report stated that the pilot vessel in question met with the legal standards and the training and competence of the personnel was adequate. The recommendations of Safety Investigation Authority concerned, among other aspects, the handling of safety risks during induction processes and the Work Boat Guidelines drafted by the authorities.
Finnpilot’s own accident analysis identified, among other things, the need to develop emergency exits. All of Finnpilot’s fast pilot boats, the class represented by the vessel involved in the accident, were outfitted with emergency exits during 2018. During this and next year, these types of vessels will also undergo other safety improvements that have been developed with the additional input of the boat manufacturer and our personnel.
“When it comes to matters of safety, we are not satisfied with simply fulfilling the minimum requirements,” states Aki Marjasvaara, Transport Director at Finnpilot.
“The clarification of the factors involved in the accident and the subsequent planning of procedures were initiated immediately following the accident, which was a shock to our entire work community. The important information we obtained has been incorporated in our operations, such as in our risk assessments, work instructions and induction materials. This new information has been particularly meaningful, since the risks involved in the chain of events that caused the accident had not earlier been identified by Finnpilot nor in the risk analyses of any other organisations using the same boat model,” Marjasvaara adds.
“In addition to our own findings and the recommendations of the Safety Investigation Authority, we have comprehensively examined our operations from a risk perspective to ensure that nothing like this can ever occur again.”
Finnpilot worked closely with industry organisations from Sweden and Norway on the analysis of the accident. Finnpilot will share any information gained from the accident investigation with other international maritime traffic operators.