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SPC Cone Fender System | Ferry Terminal | Sweden

About BASS

BASS, of Norwegian heritage and founded in 1997, is a leading global provider of fleet management software for ship owners and ship managers, as well as operators of rigs, offshore units and FPSOs (floating production, storage and offloading vessels).

Backed by a competent and experienced management team, BASS has grown from strength to strength, gaining recognition from leading companies in the maritime sector. BASS has evolved from a dedicated team of pioneers to a mature organisation with over 160 professionals.

BASS’ continuous product development stems from its active user community and ongoing R&D initiatives, where professional customers from around the world meet with BASS executives to network and share experiences. 

The feedback stemming from this unique competence base – along with BASS’ allocation of 25 percent of the company’s annual profits to product innovation – guarantees solutions that are simple, relevant and effective.

Why is BASS Different?

1. BASSnet™ Suite

Reliable modular-based software solution that allows you to implement selected modules that meet your immediate needs and to add other BASSnet™ modules over time as your business evolves.

2. Single Platform Strategy with Best Practices

BASS’ solution allows you complete flexibility in defining your own processes & avoid duplication of data with the usage of a single database.

3. Future Proof Solutions

The BASS strategy is to leverage on a solid footing in both the maritime community & the latest technology to provide the best & most cost-effective fleet management solution.

POOR PLANNING AND OVERCONFIDENCE: THE MAIB’S MAIN FINDINGS

If there is one takeaway point from the inquiry it is that poor planning was at play.

Investigators discovered the lead pilot had not informed the bridge team of his plan for the turn around Bramble Bank. There was an “absence of a shared understanding of the pilot’s intentions for passing other vessels or for making the critical turns during the passage”.

Elsewhere, the master and port pilots were blamed for “complacency and a degree of over-confidence”.

CMA CGM, which took delivery of the Vasco de Gama in July 2015, has acknowledged MAIB’s findings, and claims to be addressing the aforementioned issues raised in the report.

“Following this grounding, CMA CGM and ABP [Associated British Ports] Southampton have been working together,” said a spokesperson for the company in an email.

“As mentioned in the MAIB official report, CMA CGM has already taken measures to prevent this type of incident to happen again. CMA CGM is strongly committed to ensuring the safety of its operations and its crews in accordance with local and international regulations.”

All straight-bat stuff. ABP could not be reached for comment.

Simon Boxall, a maritime expert from the University of Southampton, believes MAIB’s findings to be fair, despite Bramble Bank’s reputation as “a navigation hazard” due to it susceptibility to “slight movement after major storms”.

“Looking through the report there was no evidence of unforeseen mechanical failure on the ship, nor of abnormal weather conditions,” he says.

“On that basis, the two pilots and the ship’s master should have been in a position to safely navigate the vessel into port. It would appear to be user error – which is what the report says in so many words.

“In light of this, introducing ways of reducing user error can only be seen as a good move.”

Boxall also acknowledges things could have been a lot worse. As the Vasco de Gama was re-floated relatively quickly, the port didn’t suffer any kind of blockage – which, given the vessel’s size, would have brought Southampton to “a standstill”.

Neither did the vessel endure any serious damage. Nonetheless, an investigation was still necessary.

“If reports such as this are not produced then the safe navigation of shipping is not improved,” says Boxall.

“In the same way an airline near-miss is thoroughly investigated, it is important that the same is done for shipping – not as a witch hunt, but as a fact finding investigation to improve safety.”