The lack of proper maintenance service

Three crew members of a 190-metre-high bulk carrier were injured while docking at a port in Great Britain as a result of the wreck of a parade ladder, serving it on the dock.

As soon as the beamer was moored, three crew members were sent to arm the front ramp from the starboard side. The standard upper part of the stairway is fixed to a rotatable platform, which in turn is integrated into a folding platform which is fixed to the vessel’s hull by means of a central bolt fastening and two bearings.
The lower part of the stairway is a fixed area which connects to the upper aluminum beams and to said beams with folding hand-rails on both sides. The lower part of the stairway is fastened to the cables and lowered to the dock with the aid of a winch.

The sailors opened the ramp and then lowered it to the level of the main deck, climbing it three times at the same time to install guard rails. At this time the base of the platform fell off the hull of the vessel, and the stairs, together with the sailors, fell on the dock. All three crew members were injured and taken to hospital.
In the course of the investigation, it was established that the fall of the parade ladder was caused by the corrosion of the central bolt fastening, which caused the platform to fall off. In addition, the roller bearings of the turntable were completely rusty and jammed. The metal of the platform was also all damaged by corrosion.

According to the system of planning and maintenance of the vessel and its devices and mechanisms, the gangway and all its parts and mechanisms must be thoroughly inspected and greased every month.
After an extraordinary inspection of the parade stairway, it was discovered that the points of application and lubricant had not been used for a long time. It was also obvious that the bearings could not be checked or greased without unmarking the turntable from the platform. No record of the execution of this procedure has been found in the system for the control of the servicing of the vessel and its devices and mechanisms.