Poor control of work in dry dock
- Safety Flash
- Published on 27 February 2023
- Generated on 19 November 2025
- IMCA SF 06/23
- 1 minute read
A member reports several cases of hot work and other activities being conducted by contractors on a vessel hull during dry dock/maintenance activities, in which the work was not fully or appropriately under the control of vessel management.
What happened?
A member reports several cases of hot work and other activities being conducted by contractors on a vessel hull during dry dock/maintenance activities, in which the work was not fully or appropriately under the control of vessel management.
Examples included mesh cutting, pad-eye welding works on a vessel’s hull, and an empty PTW station.
What went wrong?
Discussion revealed a significant misunderstanding amongst the crew, that activities conducted outside the vessel and in the dry dock itself would be controlled by contractors with no involvement of vessel management.
The potential hazards to vessel and crew were not considered.
Causes
- Lack of control of third-party activities: contractors working on the vessel hull were left unattended.
- Lack of Task Risk Assessment: risk assessment was too generic and did not cover task specific issues.
- Both company standards and procedures and locally applicable safety requirements were not followed.
Related safety flashes
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IMCA SF 04/23
9 February 2023
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IMCA SF 32/21
25 November 2021
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IMCA SF 26/21
22 September 2021
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