COS MASTER

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Captain of crew boat banned from sailing after alliding with buoy

The captain of the 'COS Master' was banned from sailing for two weeks by the Disciplinary Board of Shipping. The sanction was imposed because the crew tender allided with a buoy off the coast of Belgium on Aug 6, 2024, and sprung a leak. The crew boat, which is used to transport technical personnel from Ostend to the Borssele offshore wind farm, sailed over a buoy with two crew members and 13 passengers on board. The 'COS Master' then returned to Ostend. According to the ILT inspector, the captain did not keep a proper lookout and sailed at a high speed of approximately 20 knots while he was doing other work. According to the inspector, this led to the collision. The captain then allegedly handed over the watch to a sailor who was not authorized to do so. The captain acknowledged that he did not keep a proper lookout and that the allision was the result of this. He was distracted by a changed assignment and weather report. The captain also acknowledged that he should not have left the sailor alone on the bridge. But he did dare to do so with this experienced sailor and so he was able to see for himself whether it was safe to sail back to Ostend. However, the Disciplinary Board fully agreed with the inspector. The captain should have stayed on the bridge himself and let the engineer inspect the damage. That is why the captain's sailing license has been suspended for four weeks, two of which were conditional.