Hi Bunz - You are quite right about ultimate responsibility but as you say there are circumstances where this gets fudged. I think that this is one of those unfortunate cases. You have probably forgotten much more about this incident than I have ever known so I can only use my frames of reference as a base for our further discussion so please don't get too mad or frustrated with me!
To my way of thinking this incident smacks of a systemic failure rather than pure individual fault. Without wishing to reinvent the wheel let's just explore your problem in context of management structure. Say you had given specific standing instructions to your chief deck hand that your crew were to monitor and control the grade, size and quality of nets to be used on board your vessel, however, as happened something goes wrong and you get hauled up in front of The Man. You get wrapped on the knuckles and ultimately you carry the can, however, your chief has responsibility for daily operational matters over the crew members one of whom (lets say) did not do his job thus:-
1) fault is with the crewman
2) failure is with the chief
3) responsibility is yours
thats' how I view this that ultimately there was at middle management failure - not passing on the Captain's instructions.
What I do not know and where you can put me right is the SOP on board for watch keeping I assume the watch keepers were qualified, I assume they could communicate with each other (a problem on board modern FOC vessels) I assume that navigation charts were up to date etc. etc. I understand your concern about the drinking problem but from conversations with Marine Underwriters in the insurance market (I work in LLoyd's of London although not in the Marine market) it would appear that the Pilot also had this affliction and indeed it was not uncommon in the martime industry generally. Perhaps I'm being somewhat naive but in view of Hazelwoods condition it probably implies a degree of prudence on his part to leave the bridge once the Pilot had departed having left clear instructions as to the further navigation of the vessel per the Pilots instructions and advice?
The other issues regarding coastguard and navigations aids etc. etc. I think are irrelevent in all honesty. I think you are right in pointing to the root cause eminatting from within the vessel itself and not to any major degree any external agency.
