Ibis - Caught in a container ship's path off Southampton: the yacht Ibis
Singlehanding a 6.7 m wooden yacht in Southampton's Thorn Channel, Ibis's skipper tacked into the path of the outbound container ship OOCL Malaysia, lost the wind, and jumped clear as she was run down and foundered.
What happened.
On 2 June 2005 the 277 m container ship OOCL Malaysia was outbound from Southampton when the pilot saw the 6.7 m wooden yacht Ibis about to enter the moving prohibited zone ahead. A launch was sent to tell Ibis to hold clear, but her singlehanded skipper tacked, lost the wind, and was caught in the ship's path. He jumped clear and was picked up by the launch; Ibis was run down and foundered. No one was hurt.
On 2 June 2005 at 1041, the 277-metre container ship OOCL Malaysia was departing Southampton with a patrol launch in attendance. As the ship entered the Western Approach Channel, the pilot saw the 6.7-metre wooden yacht Ibis — privately owned, built in 1898, with one person aboard — in the Thorn Channel precautionary area, about to penetrate the moving prohibited zone roughly 1,000 metres ahead of the ship. The pilot dispatched the launch to advise Ibis to continue on her southerly course, clear of the ship. Instead the skipper decided to tack, and lost the wind. As OOCL Malaysia bore down, the skipper jumped into the water and was rescued by the launch; Ibis passed down the ship's side, filled with water, and foundered. No one was injured. The Chief Inspector wrote to the skipper about carrying adequate, serviced safety and communications equipment and being fully familiar with his vessel's handling before entering busy shipping areas, and to the port about patrol-launch procedures and communication with small craft.
What it teaches.
- 1Stay out of a large ship's moving prohibited zone — and do what the escorting launch tells you. A patrol launch was sent to tell Ibis to hold her course clear, but the skipper tacked into the ship's path instead. In commercial channels, keep well clear of big vessels and follow an escort's instructions exactly.
- 2Don't enter a busy shipping channel unsure your boat will perform. The MAIB told the skipper to know his vessel's handling before such waters. A light, old, easily-stalled boat with no reliable way to keep moving has no business crossing a ship lane on the wind alone.
- 3Keep way on, and have a backup means of propulsion in tight water. Tacking cost Ibis her wind and her steerage at the worst possible moment. In confined, high-traffic water, keep the boat moving and have an engine ready so you can clear the danger rather than stall in front of it.
- 4Carry serviced safety and communications gear before sharing water with ships. The Chief Inspector flagged inadequate safety and comms equipment aboard Ibis. A working VHF to talk to VTS and the launch, plus a lifejacket worn, are the bare minimum for mixing with 277-metre vessels.
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