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SIMS, LONAVALA:
A LANDMARK IN THE MARITIME TRAINING FIELD
- comment by Capt. M.M.Saggi, Chief Nautical adviser, Govt. of India
Third DNS batch passes out of SIMS, Lonavala

Rain could not quite dampen the spirit and enthusiasm of 68 cadets, their teachers and parents who completed
their yearlong training at SIMS, Lonavala on Friday, 29th June and are ready to set foot on board for their next 18 months of sea training. The entire ceremony moved indoors to the institute’s 300 plus seater grand auditorium that was well decorated for the purpose.
 Chief guest, Capt. M.M. Saggi who took the opportunity to go around the campus, stopped over each separate building of various activities and training, including the nearing completion and unique “Ship-in-campus” meant for training the next batch
of GME cadets onward.
Later on, addressing the cadets, faculty, staff and some of the parents present on
the special day, Capt. Saggi, unequivocal
in his comment that this was the very best maritime training institute he had visited in India as well as in the outside world.
We quote here an excerpt of
Capt. Saggi’s address to the cadets,

“When ever I had to go for a function,
I go prepared to deliver speech.
But, after seeing the wonderful facilities, I was put into a different world.
I have been hearing about this good institute before coming to this place.
I have seen many institutes within our country and outside but after seeing the place around, after seeing the cadets, after seeing their performance, I am not only convinced that both the hardware and software, not only it is very good but
it is the best.
Now, this Institute has become a landmark in the Maritime Training field.  Anybody who has been here must have got impressed.  Normally for a function like this, I politely refuse but the people who have called and after hearing about this Institute, I was very glad to accept
this invitation and have been around and have seen the infrastructure here. I think all of us can be proud of what has been created.  We must compliment the
people who have associated with this. “  
Capt. Saggi also handed over the awards to cadets who were selected basis merit and other talent competition held earlier. While complimenting the cadets on their outstanding presentation, the Nautical Adviser advised them to prove their merit while on the ship also.  He also emphasized on the institute of culture of safety and environment protection in the present context.  
*Note: This monthly safety moment is collected from various sources for educational purpose and is not an actual incident from the ESM fleet.
Accident whilst letting go tug’s rope

A ballasted tanker was made fast port side alongside a terminal. The pilot asked the master to let go the harbour tug, which had its towline fast to a bollard on the starboard side, just aft of the forward mooring station. The pilot also told the tug master by VHF radio to let go. The pilot’s instruction was relayed by the ship’s internal VHF radio to the bosun, who, with three able seamen and a deck cadet, went quickly to the towline. They looked over the side of the ship and saw that there was some slack in the line, but they could not see any of the tug’s crew.An able seaman, the bosun and another able seaman stood in line between the panama lead and the bollard and began to pull the slack of the towline in by hand.
Meanwhile, in the tug’s wheelhouse, the chief engineer moved the tow winch control joystick to pay out the line and to give the ship’s crew some more slack.

However, when he looked up at his CCTV monitor, he was surprised to see the line was being heaved in onto the towing winch. He looked down at the towing winch control panel and saw that the automatic tensioning mode switch was still illuminated. He switched the tensioning mode switch off, which gave him control of the joystick and he was then able to pay the towline out.
On the ship, when the load suddenly came onto the towline, the able seaman, who was standing nearest the panama lead, had his hands drawn towards it. He managed to let go of the line with his right hand but his left hand was badly crushed when it became caught between the towline and the panama lead. His injured hand was released when the tug’s chief engineer slackened off the towline.
The seaman lost the top parts of three fingers of his left hand, which also had soft tissue damage that needed 3 weeks of plastic surgery. It is not known whether he will ever be able to use his left hand properly, and it is unlikely that he will be employed at sea again.
LESSONS LEARNT
•
It is important that ships’ mooring teams remain alert to the possibility that, when securing or letting go tugs’ lines, these may unexpectedly come under tension and cause serious injuries.
•
Communications should be established directly between the person in charge of the mooring team and the tug’s personnel; the line should not be let go before the tug’s crew signals that it is ready to receive the line back on board; and the person in charge of the mooring team should monitor the operation and the tug’s tow line so that warning can be given to the rest of the team if sudden load comes onto the line.
•
When letting go tow lines, the attached messenger should be heaved on by a winch warping drum to take in some of the slack on the tow line, and a stopper should be used to hold the slack, while the tow line’s eye is lifted off the bollard. Then the towline can be slackened off, under control, back to the tug by surging turns of the messenger around the bollard.
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