A vessel going aground is pretty much a technical ship manager’s worst nightmare. Not only are you looking at unexpected fees for docking and repair, but the ship could also be taken out of business for a long time.

That’s why it is paramount to choose the right shipyard. Preferably a shipyard that has the required contingency and resources in place to fix and get the ship back in business, as quickly as possible.

You might also like: Does the ship have to be gas free before dry-docking? 

Preparedness for ship’s grounding

While all shipyards should be equipped to handle ship groundings, not everyone is capable of responding to an incident at a satisfactory level or muster the resources necessary to assist a large vessel.

Sometimes it might even be more cost effective to tow the vessel past the nearest marina to ensure timely repair.

Here are some examples of ship groundings GMC have handled:

• In June of 2017, the ferry MF Sigrid ran aground at Hjelmeland while it was trying to make a turn. Divers were sent to look for damages, and although the accident was minor, the ferry had to be towed to the Shipyard for repair and further inspection. A replacement ferry was put to work, and the MF Sigrid was docket the day after the incident.
• In December 2016, a Coral Methane vessel sailing from Kårstø started taking on water due to a hole. The Shipyard was called at 2 am and she was docked that same evening. 

Although Incidents like these are well known for a seasoned shipyard, they rarely occur on a regular basis. At Stavanger marina, for example, assignments involving a ship grounding happen two or three times a year.

That’s why it’s essential that the ship yard has set routines for incident management.

It is not unusual for docking managers to reach out to and offer assistance to stranded or damaged vessels. If this happens if you should become the unfortunate one day, you should take it as a good sign. Close communication is vital in a high-pressure situation.

Time is of the essence

When a ship has ran aground, the shipyard’s response time is vital. This goes for both soft grounding and hard grounding.

A diver can give you some information about the damages, but you will not have the complete overview of the damages and consequences before actually dry-docking the vessel. 

You might also be interested in this free checklist to a succesfull dry-docking. 

Very often, the shipyards response time will be crucial to save the vessel. You should expect them to mobilize extra crew to have the job done as quickly as possible.

Yes, this will be an added expense at the time but will likely mean shorter docking period.

Sometimes a competent shipyard will be able to fix your vessel without dry-docking it. That is exactly what happened when Raunefjord needed repairs during Christmas 2017.

The ship’s cargo enabled the shipyard to conduct the thruster work without docking. It arrived at quay December 29 and was finished from service and repair January 1.

The ship was ready for business in a timely fashion.