The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) published the Final Report on the investigation of VIVA FAFA No. 707 fishing vessel colliding with MOAMAEU fishing vessel around 310 nautical miles east of Rabaul.

At 2049 hours on June 8, 2022 , a Taiwan-registered purse seine tuna fishing vessel VIVA FAFA No. 707, registered in Kaohsiung Port, gross tonnage of 1735, IMO number is 9035254 and CT number: CT8-0065, collided with the Kiribati registered purse seine tuna fishing vessel MOAMAEU, IMO number is 7915929, gross tonnage 1803, around 310 nautical miles east of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea; the VIVA FAFA No. 707’s fore peak tank was damaged and water ingresses into the tank; and the MOAMAEU sank. The 31 crew members of the MOAMAEU were rescued by VIVA FAFA No. 707 and all the crew members of both vessels were safe. No casualties or pollution resulted from this accident.

Pursuant to the Transportation Occurrences Investigation Act and the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code, the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (hereafter referred to as the TTSB), an independent transportation occurrence investigation agency, was responsible for investigating this transportation occurrence. Organizations or agencies invited to participate in the investigation included the Maritime and Port Bureau, Fisheries Agency, VIVA FAFA Fishery Co., Ltd and Kirikore Fisheries Co., Ltd. This investigation report was released on July 31, 2023, after being reviewed and approved by the TTSB 52th Board meeting on July 7, 2023.

Findings

Findings related to probable causes

1. The two ships could see each other around 30 minutes before the collision. The CCTV showed that the MOAMAEU was around 15-20 degrees off the port bow of the VIVA FAFA No. 707. When the two ships moved closer together, the duty officer on the bridge of the MOAMAE did not follow the requirement of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) to avoid crossing in ahead of the vessel and suddenly turned to port, attempting to pass the bow of the VIVA FAFA No. 707. Although the VIVA FAFA No. 707 sounded the whistle and reduced speed using the engine astern, it could not avoid colliding with the MOAMAEU port amidships.
2. The two Ordinary sailor of the VIVA FAFA No. 707 did not have seaman’s certification issued by that country. When the accident occurred, the ordinary sailor on duty on the bridge had insufficient lookout knowledge and lacked ship operation skills so was unable to handle the emergency situation in a timely way to prevent the accident.

Findings Related to Risk

1. Both vessels failed to take timely avoidance measures as required by International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).
2. In violation of Article 22 of Taiwan’s Regulations on the Management of the Crew of Fishing Vessels, the VIVA FAFA No. 707 lacked two deck officers.

Other Findings

1. The weather and the visibility were good at the time of the accident
2. As the MOAMAEU sank, the investigation team had difficulty obtaining data related to the accident; no more evidence to analyze the issue of the safety of the vessel was obtained in interviews.
3. The foreign ordinary crew employed by the VIVA FAFA No. 707 when it departed in July 2021 met the requirements of Taiwan’s regulations at the time, and did not need to hold seafarer’s certificate issued by their country.

Safety Recommendations

To the Fisheries Agency, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

1. Formulate related measures, requiring related shipowners to implement Article 22 of Taiwan’s Regulations on the Management of the Crew of Fishing Vessels so that when the crew of a Taiwanese fishing vessel is changed outside of Taiwan’s borders, the number of officers meet the minimum manning requirement to ensure vessel navigation safety. （TTSB-MSR-23-07-001）

To VIVA FAFA Fishery Co., Ltd

1. When the crew of one of its vessels is changed outside of Taiwan’s border, the number of officers should meet the minimum manning requirement of Article 22 of Taiwan’s Regulations on the Management of the Crew of Fishing Vessels to ensure vessel navigation safety. （TTSB-MSR-23-07-002）
2. When the ships of the fleet are sailing, it should be arranged for a suitable crew member to be on duty on the bridge to ensure navigation safety. （TTSB-MSR-23-07-003）

To Kirikore Fisheries Co., Ltd

1. Enhance fleet education and training, the duty officer must fully understand the COLREGs to prevent ship collisions. （TTSB-MSR-23-07-004）
2. Advocate that, when sailing at sea, the seaman on duty in the bridge should maintain the correct lookout and understand the latent risk factors for collision to avoid accidents. （TTSB-MSR-23-07-005）

The full final report is in Chinese only and available for download at the website: https://www.ttsb.gov.tw

Vivi Yang, Secretariat Office

Tel: +886-2-7727-6217

E-mail: viviy2314@ttsb.gov.tw

Willis Chen, Marine Occurrence Investigation Division

Tel: +886-2-7727-6246

E-mail: willis@ttsb.gov.tw