Cause of Waverley paddle steamer crash into Arran pier that injured 24 aboard revealed

Historic vessel hit pier wall in Brodick during cruise along Arran coast

Loss of expertise and lack of training have been highlighted by the official investigation into the paddle steamer Waverley hitting Brodick pier in Arran in an incident that injured 24 people on board.

The 78-year-old vessel also suffered damage to its bows in the collision in September 2020. The incident happened after a two-hour cruise along the island’s coast with 186 passengers and 27 crew on board.

Waverley's bow was damaged in the incident | MAIB

The UK Department for Transport’s marine accident investigation branch (MAIB) concluded on Wednesday the “heavy contact” with the pier was “because the engine was slow to provide astern propulsion due to the engine becoming ‘locked’ at top dead centre, and the engineers controlling the engine could not rectify the matter quickly enough to prevent the collision”.

A series of CCTV images in the MAIB’s report showed the steamer moving along the pier before hitting a concrete wall just after 4.45pm on Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 2.8 knots (3.2mph).

Waverley hitting the pier wall captured on CCTV | CalMac

The report stated: “During the approach to the berth, the vessel’s bridge team ordered astern propulsion on the engine to slow the vessel as it approached the closed end of the pier.

“As part of the process to achieve astern propulsion, the chief engineer stopped the engine, but it would not restart when the controls were moved to the astern position.

“By the time the chief engineer managed to resolve the problem and restart the engine to achieve astern propulsion, it was too late to take effect.”

The MAIB said it had identified three “key safety issues”:

• “The specific skills and techniques needed to recognise and avoid the potential for a top dead centre event were neither formally documented within Waverley’s safety management system nor included in the training of the engineers;

• “The rectification of worn or incorrectly adjusted components was dependent on engineering knowledge and experience. The loss of [operator] Waverley Excursions Limited’s engineering expertise in the years preceding the accident led to maintenance being undertaken with insufficient knowledge;

• “Waverley’s operational risk assessments did not effectively cover the hazards posed by manual control of the engine and the engine stopping dead centre during berthing manoeuvres.”

However, the MAIB made no safety recommendations.

Damage to Waverley's bow | Crown Copyright

A total of 21 passengers and three crew were injured, three of whom suffered serious back and pelvis injuries and two of whom were evacuated by helicopter. The MAIB said the other injured passengers suffered bruising and cuts by falling onto the deck or hitting parts of the ship when it struck the pier.

Among several out-of-court settlements following the incident, one passenger, understood to be male, won a five-figure payout. The report said Waverley’s bow was “buckled inwards” by the impact, with three holes in the bow plating.

Waverley in Brodick harbour the day after the collision on September 3 2020 with damage to its bows visible | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Mark Gibson, a partner at law firm Digby Brown, which pursued claims for some of the injured, said: “The investigation into the collision has highlighted critical safety issues that contributed to the accident, resulting in injuries.

“It is regrettable that simple measures, such as warning passengers of the impending impact, were not implemented.

“The investigation also revealed that the steamer “re-entered service with inexperienced crew and worn machinery”, further compromising the vessel's safety.

“This report underscores the importance of having effective safety management systems and proper training for crew members in place for the safety of all."

Paul Semple, general manager of Waverley Excursions, 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.

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“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.”

Waverley is due to resume sailings across the UK in May.