Fall of a suspended load on general cargo vessel ZEA Servant injuring two crew
- Safety Flash
- Published on 4 September 2020
- Generated on 11 November 2025
- IMCA SF 26/20
- 1 minute read
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published an Accident Investigation Report 11/2020 relating to an incident on the general cargo vessel ZEA Servant in Campbeltown, Scotland.
What happened?
Two crewmen were injured when a suspended load fell and struck them.
The suspended load was the cargo hatch lifting gear; as it was lifted by crane from where it had been stored, a shackle on the gear snagged.
The crane was stopped but not before the fibre sling attaching the gear to the crane’s hook parted under tension, and the load fell to the deck, striking the two crewmen.
Both crewmen had been standing close to the suspended load in order to guide it out its storage area, where previous snaggings had occurred.
What were the causes? What went wrong?
- Both injured crewmen were standing within the hazardous zone beneath a suspended load, but no action was taken to halt the operation.
- The operation being undertaken had not been subject to a risk assessment and the storage areas was inappropriate due to the snagging hazards.
More detailed findings are found in the full report here.
IMCA Safety Flashes summarise key safety matters and incidents, allowing lessons to be more easily learnt for the benefit of the entire offshore industry.
The effectiveness of the IMCA Safety Flash system depends on the industry sharing information and so avoiding repeat incidents. Incidents are classified according to IOGP's Life Saving Rules.
All information is anonymised or sanitised, as appropriate, and warnings for graphic content included where possible.
IMCA makes every effort to ensure both the accuracy and reliability of the information shared, but is not be liable for any guidance and/or recommendation and/or statement herein contained.
The information contained in this document does not fulfil or replace any individual's or Member's legal, regulatory or other duties or obligations in respect of their operations. Individuals and Members remain solely responsible for the safe, lawful and proper conduct of their operations.
Share your safety incidents with IMCA online. Sign-up to receive Safety Flashes straight to your email.