Fairplay-22 capsizes with a tragic loss of life

Fairplay-22, with five persons onboard was moving in to make a towing connection when for some reason, yet to be determined, the tug came under the bow of the ferry, was hit and rolled over.

Of the five crew members, three were rescued from the extremely cold water by pilot launches operating nearby. They were suffering from hypothermia but were not seriously injured. An intensive search was carried out for the two missing men, the Captain and Chief Engineer, but without success.

The inverted tug was also searched by divers and eventually towed to the Waalhaven in Rotterdam in the slings of the floating sheerlegs Taklift 7. The body of the Polish Chief Engineer was found on the shore near the scene of the accident during the evening of the same day. Just one week later the body of the missing Captain, a 46 year old man with over 20 years of experience as a tug master, was found on the beach near the Hook of Holland.

The tug was righted in the Waalhaven two days after the accident and towed to the dry dock of the Van Brink shipyard.

Fairplay-22 is one of a series of four virtually identical ASD tugs completed in 1998 by Astilleros Armon in Vigo, Spain. The 34.75m tugs have a bollard pull of 52 tons and are designed for shiphandling, terminal duties, escorting, coastal towage and salvage. They are deployed by Fairplay Towage to serve the company’s fleets in Hamburg, Rotterdam and Antwerp as required.

In a recent statement Joerg Mainzer, managing director, of Fairplay Towage said, ‘Our thoughts are with the families of the two Fairplayers who perished in this tragic accident. The police investigation has been finalised and the authorities are presently evaluating their findings, however, the cause of the accident is still unclear at this moment.

‘The casualty is currently being surveyed at a Dutch shipyard by insurance and owner’s representatives to estimate the possible repair costs. Fairplay Towage in Hamburg meanwhile state that the name Fairplay-22 will never be used again in their fleet of tug boats.’