Ship running aground in Jeddah

With a full load of cargo on board "Regent Venture" we crossed the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea. The first port of call for discharging was Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. I was used to the style of British and Indian Captains. They were very confident in all areas of their job. Unfortunately, I did not see that quality in the Master on board. He panicked and started to shout at all of us on the bridge when approaching ports. Another thing that I observed was being from the same nationality the Captain and Chief Officer were not on talking terms.

The Chief Officer also had the Master’s license and had commanded vessels prior to joining this company. Because it was his first contract with our Company he had been employed as the Chief Officer. He was a competent officer.

There were two approaching routes to Jeddah, one from the North and the other from the South. Whichever it was, the approach to Jeddah was a tricky one, especially during night. The vessel approached Jeddah in the night, around 8.00 p.m. At my request, the Chief Officer remained on the bridge but he was only an observer. The Captain asked me what the Chief Officer was doing on the bridge after his duty hours. I told him that the Chief Officer had gone to Jeddah as Master a few times and I requested him to be around. He did not ask any further questions!

Thereafter, in their language the Captain spoke with the Chief Officer. The ship was approaching the port of Jeddah and the engines were on standby. Suddenly, for no reason the Captain made some course alterations. While doing that it was difficult to plot a good position and suddenly we felt that the ship hit something and listed to the Port side (Left side). Immediately the rudder was put to the opposite side and the ship up righted and steadied. At this time, I plotted the ship’s position and it came on the side of a reef. This was confirmed by the Chief Officer’s position. Also both the positions confirmed that the ship was out of the approach route. At this moment the Captain panicked and the Chief Officer took over. Under his instructions, the ship approached the Pilot Boarding Ground and the Pilot boarded. The time was around 10.00 p.m. The Captain informed the Pilot that he suspected that the ship hit a submerged object on the Northern approach route. Then the Pilot immediately informed the control tower. In the meantime, the Captain was trying convince the Pilot that the ship was always on the safe approach route. Under panic situations the Captain’s behavior was found to be very unprofessional. The Navy and Police Officers were waiting on the wharf at the time of berthing the ship. The Captain refused to accept the position given by the Chief Officer and myself. He showed everyone the positions he had recorded. An inquiry was held during this time and a Senior Naval Officer of the Saudi Navy checked the positions on the charts used. After taking down statements from the Captain and the Chief Officer they left.

As the cargo was being discharged, it was found that the No. 1 and 2 Cargo holds were filled with water to a height of about two meters. Following the detection of water in the holds, the ship was shifted to anchorage. As the ship was classed with Lloyds Register of Shipping, a LR Surveyor for Jeddah boarded the vessel. Following the survey, he advised the damaged cargo to be discharged and the ship to be dry docked for repairs within one month. We also had cargo for Aden. The damaged cargo was discharged in to barges at Jeddah anchorage. Temporary repairs were carried out on the Surveyor’s advice. On completion of temporary repairs, the ship sailed for Aden and discharged all the remaining cargo.

Old port of Jeddah

Aerial view of the port of Jeddah also showing many dangerous submerged reefs on the approach route.