Gangway damaged when lifting line parted

What happened?

A lifting line failed whilst vessel crew were lifting the gangway to stow it in position on departure from an anchorage. The gangway was hoisted to a position 20-30 cm below the final position, when suddenly the wire parted making the gangway pivot at the top platform hinge, and it fell freely to water level. Due to this free fall and sudden jerking the gangway was severely damaged – multiple cracks, rendering it unusable. It had to be replaced. There were no injuries.

What went wrong? What were the causes?

Our member noted the following:

• The gangway hoisting mechanism was an electric motor with a remote control. Both were working well;

The immediate cause was found to be that the gangway lifting wire had deteriorated and was not in good condition. A causal factor was inadequate maintenance – there was inadequate and improper greasing. The wires were dry on the inside resulting in the wire deteriorating faster.

The root causes were determined to be

• The risk of this wire failing on this recurring task was seen as tolerable;
• There was also no proper supervision or verification of the maintenance by the supervisor.

What actions were taken?

• Ensure required checks and maintenance of the gangway are carried out;
• Monitor overall condition of the gangway including the wire when picking up and lowering, and report any defects noted immediately;
• Ensure crew are aware of how to effectively grease lifting wires;
• Supervise and verify the greasing of wires to ensure this is done correctly.

Members may wish to refer to the following similar incidents:

• Near-miss: Corrosion caused crane boom failure during heavy lifting
• Near-miss: Broken chain on sling of personnel lifting basket
• Lifting rigging on ‘Frog’ personnel transfer capsule