Movement of vessel during crane operations caused near-miss

A member has reported a near-miss involving two persons working at height, which was caused by a shifting in position of the vessel due to movement of the vessel crane. During a vessel mobilisation, two personnel were required to conduct work at height on some of the vessel’s antennae. Access to the antennae was gained using a man-riding basket attached to a shore-side crane. The personnel were raised by the crane from the quay and positioned at the worksite to commence the work.

During the work on the antennae there was an independent request to move the onboard vessel crane to conduct a lift as part of the mobilisation. As the onboard crane moved overboard it caused the vessel to heel, which in turn caused the work area where the two personnel were located to suddenly move away from the man-riding basket. This may have given the impression to the two personnel that the man-riding basket was moving.

Immediately the bridge was contacted by the operations supervisor who in turn contacted the crane operator to order an all-stop on the vessel crane movements. No personnel were injured during this incident.

The incident illustrates the need for good communications between all departments and personnel, particularly during simultaneous operations. Whilst the two operations did not appear to conflict, they had an effect on one another. Improved communication links should be established between shore crane and operations control via the bridge to prevent further incidents.

• Guidance on operational communications