SECTION 4 - Marine Accident Investigation Branch

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1.7.2 Impact of project management
Acromas Shipping Ltd undertook the project management of Saga Pearl II’s refit,
which completed in March 2010. However, this had resulted in a reduction in the
effective oversight of the operational vessels in the Saga fleet. Consequently, it was
decided to sub-contract some oversight of Saga Sapphire’s refit to specialist refit
project management staff.
The five-man refit project team comprised three external contractors, one of whom
was the refit project manager, and two Acromas Shipping Ltd employees. There
was a total of three different project managers employed during the refit contract.
This affected continuity and required the master, ship’s senior officers and Acromas
Shipping Ltd senior managers, including the Technical Director, Commercial Director
and the Chief Executive, to take on an increasing, on-site, project management
responsibility. This was especially so towards the end of refit when it became
apparent that the refit completion date was unachievable. It was clear that additional
management effort was required to try to reduce slippage within the programme and
preserve the income-generating cruise schedule.
1.8 LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES - REGULATION AND GUIDANCE
1.8.1 Company regulation compliance and policy for using MCA guidance
As a Malta-registered vessel, Saga Sapphire was subject to the requirements of
the Malta Merchant Shipping Act 1973 and the administration’s Merchant Shipping
Notices (MSN), which were established in 1993. There were no lifeboat related
Malta MSNs.
It was a policy of Acromas to refer to a number of the MCA’s publications as
examples of industry best practice and advice. These included the Code of Safe
Working Practices for Merchant Seamen (COSWP), MSNs, Marine Guidance Notes
(MGN) and Marine Information Notes (MIN). Many of the ship’s officers were familiar
with these publications and, by referring to them in the Safety Management System
(SMS), the company was endorsing their use, even though compliance with the
documents was not required by the Malta administration.
1.8.2 International regulations and guidance
The international regulations concerning life-saving appliances and arrangements
are contained in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974, as
amended (SOLAS). The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) publication -
“Life-Saving Appliances, including LSA Code, 2010 Edition”, known as The LSA
Code, specifies mandatory international standards for life-saving appliances, as
required by Chapter III of SOLAS.
IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee Circular, MSC.1/Circ.1206/Revision 1 - Measures
to Prevent Accidents with Lifeboats - dated 11 June 2009 identifies the unacceptably
high number of accidents with lifeboats in which crew were injured, sometimes
fatally, while participating in lifeboat drills and/or inspections. The Circular provides
wide-ranging guidance on servicing and maintenance, the importance of training
and the conduct of drills. The main text of the Circular and Annex 2 - Guidelines on
Safety During Abandon Ship Drills Using Lifeboats - are particularly relevant and are
at Annex A.