U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert: Verify gateway handhold arrangements

The following Marine Safety Alert was posted on the Coast Guard Maritime Commons blog.

Incorrect terminations can lead to marine casualties

The Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis has released Change 1 to Marine Safety Alert 04-22 to addresses the importance of verifying the correct arrangement of handholds in embarkation gate arrangements aboard merchant vessels.

Change 1 to MSA 04-22 is available online.

This Safety Alert addresses the importance of verifying the correct arrangement of handholds in embarkation gate arrangements aboard merchant vessels. The Coast Guard is currently investigating a casualty involving a fall from a pilot ladder where the handholds in the gate arrangement aboard the vessel terminated without being rigidly secured to the vessel's structure. This termination left a gap in the handholds at the transition point at the head of the pilot ladder, where an embarking person might reach to pull themselves onto the vessel.

The full updated safety alert is available on the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis Safety Alert webpage.

This Safety Alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not relieve any domestic or international safety, operational, or material requirements. (This was) developed by the Coast Guard Sector New York Investigations Division, and distributed by the Office of Investigations and Analysis. Please send questions .