Safe navigation and steering of fast boats require several people and a well-defined division of labour

The Safety Investigation Authority, Finland, (SIAF) has completed the investigation of the accident in which the patrol boat PV83 of the Finnish Border Guard was grounded and sank in front of Loviisa on 20 June 2020. Before grounding, the boat’s route passed outside the fairway, and the crew was transferring to the patrol vessel Turva for a break. One of the crew members died in the accident.

“The boat involved in the accident was designed as an auxiliary boat of VL Turva, but in practice, it was used for patrol duties. The intended purpose of the boat was different, and the PV83 was not designed or equipped for such long-term patrol duties,” says Professor Veli-Pekka Nurmi, Executive Director of the Safety Investigation Authority.

“In addition, the importance of critical information is emphasised especially when navigating a fast boat – the ergonomics of the cab led to situations that emphasised the use of an electronic nautical chart to support navigation. Depending on the scaling of the electronic nautical chart, it can be difficult to predict and ensure safe passage for the boat by using the chart view. The crew had also formed a habit of leaving one crew member responsible for both the navigation and the steering in situations that were thought to be safe,” Nurmi says.

“In the accident, the crew were aware of the danger of sinking, but they did not realise the severity of the danger. The crew started to evacuate the equipment from the boat. In situations like these, protecting human lives should be a priority, even if it is at the cost of material losses,” says Investigator-in-charge Risto Haimila.

“The boat had only one exit that met the requirements of an emergency exit, and in practice it was the only cabin exit. However, the situation developed suddenly so that in practice, it became impossible for the crew member who remained in the cab in an immersion suit to leave the sinking boat,” Haimila adds.

The Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre and the Emergency Response Centre alerted units from different rescue organisations to the site. Needs for development appeared in the cooperation between the Maritime Rescue Centre, the Emergency Response Centre and emergency medical services: there were difficulties with communication, and the resources alerted to the site could not be fully utilised.

As a result of the accident, the SIAF issues four safety recommendations related to navigating, awareness of how dangerous leaks are, instructions on saving people from sinking boats, as well as operating models and instructions on leading emergency medical tasks and the communication between actors. The safety recommendations are addressed to the Finnish Border Guard as well as the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.

Further information:

Mr. Risto Haimila, Investigator-in-charge, tel. +358 2951 50730

Dr. Veli-Pekka Nurmi, Executive Director, Professor, tel. +358 2951 50701