Kerala - Kochi   

Ageing of vessels a major cause for concern

K. Venkiteswaran

Quality of maintenance work should be examined

KOCHI: In the light of the boat tragedy at Thattekkad, the demand for implementing the suggestions of the report of the K. Narayana Kurup Commission of Inquiry, which had gone into the Kumarakom boat accident, has become strident.

The report has underscored the need for revamping the State Water Transport Department.

One suggestion is to appoint a safety commissioner for water transport, who should have independent status to function effectively without any interference.

Ageing of vessels plying on the Kerala waters is a major cause for concern.

This and lack of proper maintenance can cause the wooden planks of the hull to decay and ultimately fail, especially under load, the report has noted.

It has said that the wood used for construction of the boats should be examined and the maintenance schedule and quality of maintenance work investigated.

However, as previous accidents of similar nature show, most boat tragedies are due to overloading. Overloading causes increased water pressure on the hull planks, which then give way.

Overloading can cause leaking of water through the gaps in the planking, which are normally made watertight by caulking (filling the gaps between the planks with a substance that does not absorb water). Proper caulking is essential to prevent or reduce leakage.

Obstruction

In the Thattekad tragedy, into which a judicial inquiry has been ordered, the possibility of underwater obstruction cannot be ruled out, as according to some reports, the spot where the accident occurred was not very deep.

An underwater obstruction such as part of a post or stanchion made of coconut tree trunks (these are very common in the Vembanad lake) can pierce the hull, flooding the boat and leading to its sinking or capsize.

Scientists attribute some accidents on water to the "free-surface effect."

Liquid with free surfaces inside any space within the boat will cause a reduction in the metacentric height of the boat, which is a reduction in the stability.

If the free surface is large enough, the consequent loss of stability can be severe enough to cause the boat to capsize.

In a vessel without hull sub-division, flooding can cause very severe free-surface effect, since the flooded water is free to permeate the entire hull of the vessel.

The absence of adequate longitudinal and transverse bulkheads increases the possibilities of this.

In a panic situation, the tendency of passengers crowding to one side speeds up the imminent disaster.

Passengers crowding to one side of the boat will cause the boat to heel over to that side. A properly designed passenger boat loaded to its rated capacity should not heel over beyond a prescribed limit.

However, a passenger boat which does not satisfy the prescribed stability criteria can heel over beyond the limit, especially under overloaded conditions, resulting in capsize.

Once the disaster happens, the only recourse for the hapless victims is to search for life-saving equipment. Lack of this has resulted in the final toll going up in most accidents involving boats, the report has noted. Life-saving gear such as lifebuoys, lifejackets and buoyant apparatus can save lives if a vessel meets with an accident. This is especially important for passenger vessels.

The facts and circumstances brought on record of various boat accidents show that a number of factors such as the condition of the vessel, its shoddy maintenance, absence of navigational aids, lack of demarcation and upkeep of the channel, overloading and negligent conduct of the crew are instrumental in precious lives being lost.

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