A report into a major crash that left the beloved Leeuwin tall ship crumpled at Fremantle Port has revealed the pilot of a 333-metre container ship was on their phone at the time of the crash.
The final report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau was handed down on Monday, laying bare into how the Maersk container ship crashed into the Leeuwin while coming in to berth about in August 2024, leaving the tall ship de-masted, and injuring two workers.
The investigation found communication between the helmsman and the bridge was poor all at the time of the crash, and a number of risk controls required by Fremantle Port hadn’t been properly implemented.
The report said a critical factor in the crash was the fact one of the ship’s pilot was on their phone at the time.
“Several maritime accident investigations, both in Australia and overseas, have highlighted the use of mobile phones during critical phases of the passage as possible contributing factors,” the report said.
The transport safety bureau found the pilot did not provide the helmsman with a course alteration instruction, the bridge team did not adequately monitor the process and the secondary pilot “was occupied in non-essential phone activity at the critical stage of the passage”.
The Leeuwin was destroyed by container ship at Fremantle Port.Credit: Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation
Audio from the ship’s bridge revealed the rest of the bridge team did not detect the primary pilot’s failure to order a turn into the inner harbour.
“With neither pilot nor the ship’s bridge team observing the actions of the helmsman, the primary pilot informed the secondary pilot that they were in trouble, resulting in the latter then concluding their phone call at 6.15am,” the report stated.
The bow of the ship, carrying more than 4100 containers, struck the Leeuwin and the vessel’s stern hit a berth and the roof of the WA Maritime Museum.
The container ship sustained minor damage, including a hull breach.
Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the transport safety bureau found the ship’s bridge team – comprising the two pilots and the ship’s crew – ineffectively implemented bridge resource management practices.
The secondary pilot was distracted from their responsibilities, engaged in a non-essential mobile phone call as the ship was transiting a critical area, the investigation found.
The report has allowed the Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation to further understand the sequence of events of the collision.
LOAF chief executive Lawson Dixon said the company was grateful the two workers injured in the incident were on the road to recovery.
“We are grateful to the ATSB for their thorough investigation which has allowed for a clearer understanding of the events that led to the accident,” he said.
“Likewise, we’re encouraged that Fremantle Ports moved swiftly to put in place appropriate protocols to help prevent any recurrence.”
After 14 months of repairs costing millions of dollars, the Leeuwin returned to Fremantle on October 23 and its sail training program will resume early in 2026.
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