Listing of crew boat due to water ingress

A bilge alarm signal was received on the bridge, informing that there was water inside starboard side void space #1. Following this, starboard side void space #1 was checked and it was confirmed that there was water present. 

At the same time the Chief Engineer inspected the void space and observed that the main discharge non-return valve was not installed improperly, and its gasket was not properly sealed. The other drain valve, placed between the forepeak and void space #1, was not installed at all and found lying nearby. The automatic bilge pump, which should have started immediately after the alarm was raised, had not started.

The portable fire pump was used to pump the space clear.  At this point the vessel was listing heavily owing to some 2 cubic metres of water in the void space.

• The crew boat had been in dry dock before this voyage; important matters were not noticed before the vessel was launched:
  
  
  • the non-return valve gasket in starboard side void space #1 was damaged
    
    
  • the valve in the bulkhead between starboard forepeak and starboard side void space #1, was not installed.
    
    
• The bilge alarm signal was only a flashing light and not an audible sound alarm.
  
  
• The automatic bilge pump, which should have started immediately after the alarm was raised, had not started because the control button on the panel was in the manual position, which prevented the system from starting.

There was no post-dry dock maintenance inspection or dedicated testing to ensure that everything done in dry dock was done properly and completely.