Broken Crane Auxiliary Line During Lifting Operations

After the vessel was in position at a platform to offload 3 tote tanks, the crane operator lowered the auxiliary line to the boat deck. The boat crew hooked the line to the tank located in the aft. port

quarter of the vessel close to the escape way and under the boat rail. The crew then moved to the aft. starboard side as they could not control the tag line safely in that position. The crane operator started lifting the tank after getting the signal from the boat crew, but it could not be lifted because the top corner of the tank caught underneath the rail of the escape way. The crane operator then lowered the tank to the deck and tried to lift it a 2nd time but was unsuccessful due to limited space on the boat deck which was full of cargo. He put it down on the deck again and kept the auxiliary line tight to control the load and to be ready for the lift. While he was waiting for the signal from the boat crew, the boat suddenly pitched and the top corner of the tank was caught underneath the escape way again, causing the auxiliary line to stretch and to break above the headache ball.

What Went Wrong:

• Hazard was not identified and mitigation measures were inadequate in the cargo offloading plan.
• Cargo arrangement was inadequate and did not consider the risk of obstruction and limited access.
• Clear communication between the crane operator and boat captain / crew was not established.
• Unsafe lifting activity continued without exercising safe work procedures, like Hazard Analysis, and Safe Work Practices (Lifting and Rigging) were not followed.

Lessons Learned:

• To prompt workers to think before act
•  To ensure that workers are constantly aware of potential hazards while they are performing work