Real Life Incident: Container Lashing Related MOB Fatality While At Sea

A container ship was underway at about 15 knots in an estuary, in daylight and good weather conditions, and approaching the pilot boarding station to pick up a pilot.

The Master was alone on the bridge while almost all other crew (17 of 21), including a cook and a steward, were marshalled on deck to undertake container lashing removal. The arrival port’s stevedores did not habitually do unlashing tasks. While this task was not mandatory for the crew, it did offer extra pay for those who volunteered.

The volunteers were divided into four groups, each with a team leader. The second officer was the team leader for Team 2.

At one point,