Florida Hull Cleaner Killed On The Job

[DandyDon]

Diver cleaning yacht bottom killed when propeller turned on

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. —
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a fatal boating accident after a diver was killed by a yacht propeller.


The accident happened just before noon at the Old Port Cove Marina.

According to witnesses, the super yacht Honey, was being bottomed cleaned by one, or possibly two divers.

Witnesses said the somehow the forward thrusters – small propellors at the bow of the yacht used for steering – were turned on and sucked the diver face-first into the propellors.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

FWC spokeswoman Carol Lyn Parrish said they don’t know if the divers worked for the yacht owner or were outside contractors.

She said they were still determining exactly what happened.

FWC has not yet released the name of the diver.

 

[tilikum]

Is there any kind of lock out/tag out procedure for hull cleaners?

 

[Joneill]

Is there any kind of lock out/tag out procedure for hull cleaners?

If not, there sure should be. That was a horrible way to go - sucked face first into the bow thruster prop according to the article.

 

[seeker242]

Is there any kind of lock out/tag out procedure for hull cleaners?

I work on yachts and ships for a living. Whenever I board one that has divers in the water, there are always lockout tags on all the controls.

 

[tilikum]

Obviously there was a failure in the process.

 

[chris kippax]

Isolation is pointless without a test for dead procedure. There was obviously a breakdown in isolation protocol and test for dead. Such a waste that could have been easily avoided.

 

[fstbttms]

Apparently he was sucked face-first into the bow thruster of a 173' megayacht.


Diver killed by yacht propeller identified

 

[Akimbo]

It will be interesting to see if any procedures were in place to shut-down engineering spaces. I "suspect" that very few hull cleaners think of it. Props, cooling water intakes, and windlasses all need to be labeled and locked. It isn't always possible to shut-down generator cooling water intakes on large vessels, but they can be safe IF the same sea chests are sized for the mains. However, cleaning growth off their grates is a always bad idea when they are running.

 

[wgw04024]

This happens periodically. It happened up here a couple years ago. I would certainly want someone topside, in the bridge, and preferably with a sidearm if I were underwater around props and thrusters, on a large boat. You just can't trust anyone who's not personally invested in the person in the water in my opinion.

 

[Wookie]

The ship I work on has a 36" thruster prop and a 6" grate. You'd have a hard time getting through the grate to the thruster prop. I am the chief, and a contract hull cleaner, so I run my own tagouts. I fight with the assistant engineers over adequacy of diver tagouts, they don't want to tag the thruster, or they don't want to tag the steering hydraulics, or they don't want to tag the fire pump. But as the chief and diver, I tend to get my way.