Engine failure caused paddle steamer crash which left 24 people injured – report

The world’s only seagoing paddle steamer crashed into a pier injuring 24 people following engine failure, investigators have found.

Fewer people might have been injured if passengers had been warned ahead of the impact, a Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said.

The report also found the paddle steamer had “re-entered service with inexperienced crew and worn machinery”.

The Waverley was trying to berth at the pier at Brodick, Arran, on September 3 2020 after a two-hour trip along the island’s coast when the crash happened at 4.46pm.

The report said 21 of the 186 passengers on board and three of the 27 crew were injured.

Investigators said many passengers were standing at the time of the crash and either fell to deck or hit fixtures on the boat as they were thrown forward.

Three passengers sustained serious back and pelvis injuries, and two of them were evacuated by helicopter to a mainland hospital.

The other passengers sustained cuts and bruises and four were were taken to a mainland hospital with nine treated at the local hospital on Arran.

The report states: “No impact warning or instruction to brace was broadcast and 24 of the passengers and crew were injured.

“This number might have been smaller had sufficient warning been given.”

The Waverley’s bow was buckled inwards by the impact, resulting in three holes in the bow plating above the waterline.

The report found the engine failed when trying to use to it to slow the ship on approach to the pier and could only be restarted too late.

The Waverley hit the concrete wall at the end of the pier at approximately 2.8 knots.

Investigators said the engine failure was caused by a “dead centre event” where the high-pressure steam piston came to rest at the top of its travel when the engine was stopped – known as the dead centre position – preventing the engine from running.

It was slow to restart due to an incorrectly secured piston valve.

“Dead centre events were a known phenomenon but they had only occurred infrequently. The chief engineer was unfamiliar with the system indicators that warned of a dead centre event or how to anticipate and prevent its occurrence,” the report states.

“The absence of an effective safety management system and reliance on historic maintenance documentation resulted in the failure to capture maintenance issues accurately.”

The report found the risks of such an event occurring and the associated risks “had neither been assessed nor effectively mitigated”.

The MAIB said since the crash the ship’s operator, Waverley Excursions, has carried out an internal safety review of its management system.

This led to the creation of an electronic planned maintenance system, a requirement for all berthing activities to be fully risk-assessed and a competency-based training and development programme for engine and deck crew.

It has also added awareness of sudden movements while berthing to the passenger safety briefings.

The MAIB has made no recommendations to the company “in light of the actions taken and the time elapsed since the accident”.

Paul Semple, Waverley Excursions general manager, said: “I welcome the publication of the MAIB report and support its findings and conclusions.

“The report recognises the extensive work undertaken by Waverley Excursions since the incident back in 2020, including a full review of the safety management system.

“I am pleased to note that given the actions taken by the company and outlined in the report there are no recommendations made by the MAIB.”

He said this year passenger service is due to start in May and this season marks the 50th anniversary since the Waverley’s first sailing in preservation.