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Incomplete Investigation Of Previous Sinking Of Yellow Duckmarine Shows Profit’s Put Before Safety This weekends sinking of yet another Yellow Duckmarine vehicle, this time resulting in 31 passengers and crew being rescued form the waters of Liverpool’s Salthouse Dock, has highlighted the fact that following a previous incident in March of this year; nothing was done by the government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)
The four vehicles used by the company are all ex-World War 2 amphibious crafts converted into a tourist sight-seeing vehicle. They are maintained in a warehouse in Grafton Street not far from the docks and near the Cain’s Brewery area of the city. But this is not the first time the vehicles have been involved in potentially dangerous and life-threatening incidents. In September 2010, one of the popular tour buses lost a wheel, injuring four passengers onboard at the time. and came less than two weeks after an inner bearing failed in another of the vehicles. The company, according to a health and safety professional speaking to Unionsafety; did not even have a dedicated health and safety officer or appropriate health and safety policies up until at least 2010. Health & safety responsibilities were given to one of the senior mechanics, who had received little training and given virtually no time to perform the role. Staff were minimal and under a lot of pressure to keep the vehicles running and 'on the road'. Little or no maintenance of the vehicles ‘water worthiness’ was being performed to adequate standards with most of the maintenance being done around the vehicles road worthiness; according to the safety specialist. As if to illustrate this, in April, two drivers claimed they were sacked by the company for raising health and safety concerns weeks before the first sinking incident. Whilst the company denies any such thing, the Employment Tribunals brought by the two employees and backed by their Trade union, Unite; was stopped due to an out of court settlement and of course, the usual 'gagging' confidentiality agreement being signed as part of the settlement. As a result no details can be published.
The Liverpool Daily Post this morning (19th July) reports that: “Marine investigators decided not to hold a full probe into why a Yellow Duckmarine sank earlier this year, … The government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said it had “not considered it to be necessary” to hold an investigation into the March sinking of the vessel, which went down 40 minutes after passengers were offloaded. However, although the MAIB claimed that “the cause of the sinking was quickly established”, it would not make the findings public when challenged by the Post.” Liverpool’s Mayor Joe Anderson is reported to have said that in light of the most recent incident – believed to have been caused when the propeller struck a “rogue” floating tyre – “the public had a right to know” what happened last time. The Post reports that it has also learned that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), issued temporary permits for the Wacker Quacker fleet to operate following the first incident, and that, as a result of this second incident is undertaking a review of its earlier decision to give the three existing vehicles the all clear. The Liverpool Daily Post says that the MAIB told the Post that no full probe of the March incident was held because “it was reported that no passengers were placed at risk”. This of course smacks of the US way of doing things – investigate only after someone is injured or killed – literally no pro-active accident prevention. In other words – profits before safety! Today's newspaper report goes on:
But of course this raises further questions with regard to the maintenance of the docks, and the use to which they are put. Debris should not be allowed to remain in a dock which is used by members of the public and companies providing services to the public within its area. Whilst the Mayor is rightly concerned about the condition of the Yellowduck vehicles, his comments do not address the state of the dock which is seen as the cause of the first incident. Mayor Anderson told The Liverpool Daily Post that public confidence needed restoring, and therefore more information was needed. “We need some openness and transparency about what went on the first time and why it happened and we need to see how they responded to that incident and this incident.” He concluded by saying: “Regardless of what hit the vessel it should have been able to stay afloat until everyone was off it safely. It should not be sinking and debris should not be allowed to foul the propeller, there should be something around it. They are not going to get me supporting them going back in the water until I am 100% satisfied it is safe for people, both from the city and tourists to go on.” You can watch the video of the incident here Taken by a tourist who at first seems confused as to what is actually going on! Source: Liverpool Daily Post / Youtube / Unionsafety |
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In effect the Company were liable, and they know it! 
A spokesman for the company added that the MAIB would “almost certainly have been aware of the shredded tyre before the photos were given to them today, and will have their own film / photos showing the same.”