VIPAN

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Accident investigation into grounding in 2023 completed

On Feb 27, 2025, the Swedish Accident Investigation Board has completed its investigation into the grounding of the 'Vipan'outside Saltholmen, on Nov 9, 2023. At 06:00 a.m. the passenger ferry had departed from the Saltholmen ferry terminal in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland County, en route to Vrångö. There was only a crew of three people on board. It was a rainy and windy morning and it was still dark outside. After leaving the illuminated harbor and the ship entered the dark fairway, the master thought that the light from two instruments to his left was dazzling. He began to dim the instruments and at the same time the ship went off course. At 06:03 a.m., the ship ran hard aground at a speed of just under 16 knots at Lerholmen, only a few hundred meters from the ferry terminal. No people were physically injured. The rescue operation ended at 07:27 a.m. The accident was caused by the fact that the risks at the helm station, in terms of the location and user-friendliness of the various instruments, had not been identified and thus not managed. In connection with the handling of the instruments, the master lost attention to the operation of the vessel. A further reason was that the automatic steering did not provide any clear feedback that alerted the master when the operating mode switched between automatic and manual control. The measures taken by the shipping company after the accident were considered sufficient, and the commission therefore did not issue any recommendations. Report with photo: https://www.sjofartstidningen.se/brister-i-forarmiljon-orsakade-grundstotning/