The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) has said that bulk carrier FMG Nicola’s went adrift after a main engine emergency shutdown switch erroneously activated.
What happened
On 7 February 2025, the fully laden bulk carrier FMG Nicola was departing Port Hedland under the conduct of 2 marine pilots with 3 tugs in attendance. At 1515 local time, about 5 miles into the pilotage, FMG Nicola’s main engine unexpectedly shut down. An emergency was declared, and the pilots immediately took action to control the ship’s movement while the port’s vessel traffic service mobilised additional port tugs and the ship’s engineers rectified the engine fault. The main engine was restarted at 1523, and the ship was brought back under control. Multiple tugs attended and the ship was brought clear of the channel side and taken safely to sea.
What the ATSB found
The ATSB investigation found that FMG Nicola lost propulsion because the main engine low lubricating oil pressure emergency shutdown switch erroneously activated with all system parameters otherwise normal.
Also, the investigation found that the emergency response was as per port guidance, procedures and training. The ship remained underway and kept moving and was safely navigated via the channel to sea. While the ship departed, and tracked along the edge of, the charted shipping channel, there was no evidence to show that the ship had contacted the seabed.
What has been done as a result
Pilbara Ports Authority advised that port operations have been reviewed in the areas of ship reliability and vetting, towage strategy and arrangements and pilotage and emergency response and relevant procedures have been updated. Actions taken included improved operational awareness of and training in escort towage arrangements and updating of pilotage and emergency response procedures.
The ship’s manager/operators responded to this incident by upgrading the management (testing and replacement) of main engine lubricating oil pressure switches on all ships in its fleet. This was supported by fleetwide implementation of a procedure for rapid response to main engine shutdown due to low lubricating oil pressure.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has updated its processes to better ensure prompt reporting of incidents to the ATSB.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell welcomed the actions by the ship operator and port authority.
“The safety of ports and the ships that use them requires commitment to continued improvement and learning from incidents by port authorities, users, facility owners and service providers,” he said.
“By working together to enhance procedures and strategies, emergency situations can not only be safely managed, but lessons can be learned and used to further improve operational safety.”
Safety message
The safety of ports and ships that use them requires commitment to continued improvement and learning from incidents by port authorities, port users, facility owners and port services such as towage and pilotage. By working together, enhancing procedures and strategies, emergency situations can not only be safely managed, but lessons can be learned and used to further improve operational safety.
