Poor watchkeeping aboard a jet-driven superyacht and a cargo ship off the Bahamas has, once again, highlighted the need for crew to keep a proper and effective lookout at all times. 

In December 2021, the 62m (205ft) jet-driven superyacht Utopia IV and 48m (159ft) tanker Tropic Breeze collided while travelling in the same direction in the same channel, 20 miles northwest of the Bahamas.

Utopia IV was travelling at around 20kn with seven passengers and 13 crew on board, while Tropic Breeze was ahead, travelling at around 5kn and carrying a cargo of thousands of gallons of marine gas oil (MGO), gasoline and liquid petroleum gas.

Closed-circuit television cameras aboard Utopia IV captured the moment when its crew and equipment were suddenly thrown forward as the superyacht’s plumb (near vertical) bow struck Tropic Breeze’s transom at a relative speed of around 15kn, from directly astern. Utopia IV’s bow penetrated straight through into Tropic Breeze’s engine room. The engine room began to flood immediately and rapidly, with the engine stopping once it became submerged. Tropic Breeze’s captain made a VHF distress call and decided to abandon ship.

Utopia IV’s crew, meanwhile, restarted their jet engines, which had shut down due to the collision, and manoeuvred to recover Tropic Breeze’s crew. A swim platform was lowered to help the casualties climb aboard, but the sea swells were too severe for this to be done safely. 

Damage close-up (Credit: Maritime Management)

Rescue and damages

Tropic Breeze’s crew were eventually rescued by another superyacht, the 57m (187ft) motor cruiser Amara, which quickly responded to the distress calls, then escorted Utopia IV into Nassau. Tropic Breeze sank 2,834m (9,300ft) to the seabed half an hour after the collision. 

The loss of Tropic Breeze was valued at $5.1m for the vessel and $343,881 for its cargo.

Utopia IV, meanwhile, sustained severe hull rupturing above and below the waterline, a compromised ballast tank, and damaged bridge windows, hatches, fittings and equipment, resulting in costs of around $2.4m. 

Accident investigation  

An accident investigation report by the USA’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that at the time of the accident, Utopia IV’s captain and bosun were not maintaining a proper lookout in accordance with COLREGs (Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), which requires that “every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate”. 

Visibility was good, so they should have seen Tropic Breeze’s stern light. And, because Utopia IV was traveling at 20kn, they should have had a lookout with no other duties assigned. Shortly before the incident, Utopia IV’s captain left the bosun alone in the wheelhouse, despite the fact that the bosun was not certified as a mate or captain and was therefore not allowed by regulations to conn the vessel alone. The bosun was, at the same time, also tasked with logging the navigation data and therefore distracted from his lookout duties.

Tropic Breeze sinking (Credit: Maritime Management)

Radar omission

Utopia IV and Tropic Breeze were both equipped with radar set to a three-mile scale. With Utopia IV approaching Tropic Breeze at a relative speed of 15kn, a target would close three miles in 12 minutes. However, none of the watch crew involved in the incident reported seeing another vessel on their radar, which makes it likely that none of them had looked at their radar in the 12 minutes before the collision. There was also no evidence that they had used their radars appropriately for long-range scanning. 

AIS failure

Tropic Breeze was equipped with automatic identification system (AIS), but it had been inoperative due to a power issue. Investigators later found that the unit had not transmitted a position in the previous 11 months. If the unit had been functioning, the report says, Utopia IV could have detected Tropic Breeze before the collision. Conversely, with the AIS unit inoperative, Tropic Breeze could not display Utopia IV’s AIS signal and identify the superyacht’s relative position.

Incident diagram (Credit: NTSB)

Overtaking vessel

As the overtaking vessel, Utopia IV was required by COLREGs to give way to the tank vessel. However, because the watch crew on Utopia IV were not maintaining a proper lookout using all available means, they were unable to identify the risk of a collision.

Although Utopia IV bore responsibility as the overtaking vessel to manoeuvre away from the tank vessel, once the superyacht’s intentions became unclear and a close-quarters situation had developed, the tank vessel should have taken action. However, Tropic Breeze did not detect Utopia IV approaching. If its crew had seen the superyacht, they could have signalled the potential danger in some way, by radio, whistle, or some other means. 

Tropic Breeze’s watch crew were, therefore, also clearly not maintaining a proper lookout, according to the report. Had either of the crews kept a proper lookout, they could have detected each other and then have taken action to avoid the collision.

Dennis O’Neill is a freelance journalist specialising in maritime.