PEDRO VÍTOR - Very Serious Maritime Casualty
Vessel: PEDRO VICTOR
GAMA reference: 2014-181
Data da ocorrência acidental: 15-08-2014
Circulated on: 15-01-2015
Published on: 18-02-2015
Casualty Event: Grounding
Summary
At approximately 1550 on 15 August 2014, PEDRO VÍTOR was navigating upstream on the Douro Inland Waterway near kilometre 84.5 with one skipper and five passengers aboard. Several small motorboats towing water skiers and two personal watercraft were operating ahead. To avoid interfering with them, the skipper altered course to port towards the northern riverbank. When the craft was approximately 10 to 12 metres from the bank, the port propeller struck an unmarked submerged rock. The impact bent the propeller shaft and damaged the propeller and port rudder. The propeller blades then struck the stern structure and opened a hole approximately 20 to 30 centimetres in diameter. Water entered faster than the bilge pumps could remove it. The skipper requested assistance by VHF and was advised to beach the craft on the more gently shelving southern bank. Using the starboard engine, the skipper approached a small river beach near Porto de Rei, where the craft flooded and sank in shallow water. No fatalities or injuries were reported.
Safety recommendations
SR 181-2014.1: Assess installing a south cardinal mark, of spar or pole type, at the southern limit of the submerged rocks located near the northern bank of the River Douro at kilometre 84.5. No response status is recorded in the report.
Lessons learned
Vessels navigating inland waterways should remain within the charted navigable channel and apply the narrow-channel rules, even in light traffic and familiar waters. When smaller craft are operating ahead, an appropriate response may be to reduce speed, sound an attention signal and maintain a defensive position rather than leave the channel. Navigators should use all available navigational equipment and take account of water-level variations that may conceal hazards visible at lower levels. Submerged hazards close to a navigable channel should be clearly marked.