Stage

• On Scene
• Factual Collection
• Analysis
• Final Draft
• Closure

On July 3rd, 2023, a Taiwanese-registered passenger cargo ship "Double Lucky”, with registration number 016429 and a gross tonnage of 99.38, was carrying 75 persons, including 1 Taiwanese captain, 2 Taiwanese crew members, 1 foreign crew member, and 71 Taiwanese passengers, the ship sailed from Dongji Fishing Harbor to Jiangjun Fishing Harbor. About 1703 local time, the ship ran aground after passing the outer breakwater of Jiangjun Fishing Harbor. All 75 persons on board were safe, and there was no environmental pollution.

Conclusions

Findings Related to Probable Causes
• 1. On the day of the occurrence, three fishing boats ran aground in the middle of the navigation channel outside Jiangjun Fishing Harbor. However, the captains failed to report those events to the Coast Guard, and the on-duty Coast Guard personnel also did not detect the grounded fishing boats obstructing the channel.
  2. About three minutes before the "Double Lucky” entered the harbor, the captain detected three fishing boats obstructing the channel. However, he did not wait or report this event to the Coast Guard to inquire about the situation. Instead, relying on past experience and unmodified depth information on the electronic chart system, the captain decided to turn to port side to avoid the three fishing boats and continue entering the harbor. This decision led to the "Double Lucky" running aground in shallow water.
  3. The grounding of the "Double Lucky" caused the propeller to get stuck in the mud, leading to the main engine losing power and became unable to refloat.

Findings Related to Risk
• 1. The "Double Lucky" did not have the required anchors and anchor chains as per the ship inspection record. After grounding, the ship was pushed northward towards the breakwater by wind and waves, which prevented the ship from freeing itself.
  2. The captain and ship owner of the "Double Lucky" did not have official electronic chart system data for the fishing harbor. Additionally, the installed electronic chart system had not been inspected by the maritime authority. The chart indicated a depth of 2.5 meters around the grounding area, which was inconsistent with the actual situation.
  3. Parts of the waters between the outer and inner breakwaters of Jiangjun Fishing Harbor had insufficient depth, posing a grounding risk for at least 6 months. Relevant agencies had discussed the siltation problem in the navigation channel, but the competent authorities did not publicly announce it to the related parties.
  4. The Tainan City Government conducted dredging operations at Jiangjun Fishing Harbor every three years, but failed to effectively maintain the design water depth of -4.5 meters, and also did not establish a warning procedure for shallow water areas.
  5. The "Passenger Vessel Pre-Departure Safety Checklist" and the "Application Form for Non-Domestic Fishing Vessels Entering and Exiting Fishing Harbors" did not require the ship owner or captain to provide information on the ship's draft. Additionally, they lacked details on harbor water depths and ship drafts, making it challenging for harbor operators and flag state control to assess the risk of ship grounding.
  6. The maritime authority has not clearly stipulated regulations for the use of nautical charts and guidelines for electronic chart systems for ships on domestic routes, and ships on international routes with a gross tonnage of less than 500. These ships often rely on outdated nautical charts that have not been inspected by the competent maritime authority, posing potential risks to navigation and berthing.

Other Findings
• 1. On the day of the occurrence, the weather and sea conditions at 1700 local time were clear, with a Beaufort wind scale of 4, visibility over three nautical miles, and no abnormal wind or waves. It was a spring tide, with the second low tide time at 1606 local time and a tide height of -0.77 meters relative to the local mean sea level.
  2. The captain and crew of the "Double Lucky" both held valid certificates of competency issued by the competent authority, and their rest time before departure was normal, ruling out the possibility of fatigue as a cause of the occurrence.
  3. The "Double Lucky" had a valid ship inspection certificate and related certificates, and there were no abnormal entries in the ship inspection records, ruling out the possibility of main engine or steering gear failure, as well as structural damage to the ship.