Police Boat.....What Police Boat!!!!!

[XLR8]

I had a funny experience today ;)

When returning back to the seaway this morning in marginal conditions the local water police decided to stop me for a safety gear inspection.

Short story is when I spotted there intensions I waved and pulled back the throttles. As they approached from my port side at about the 3 meter mark out the driver yells he has lost power. I hit the hard reverse and the large Cat colides with my port side tearing my bow rail from the deck. Bugger :o

Any way they ask about my safety gear and I follow them back inside where I am breath tested and we exchange details. The younger police driver video's my boats damage, I get there names and rego and they hand me a marine incident form.

Iam insured but clearly they didn't have control over ther vessel. And when we left they stayed on the sand to check there two engines out, there words.

What are your thoughts??

[matthill80]

they is paying mate. had the same thing happen near fitzroy lagoon a big boat came over to us ( we were in a 52 footer as well) and collided with the rear awning strut and bent it good. thats all good but they had a rubber duck c/c on tied off to the side of their big mothership???? work that out?? almost squashed the poor fisheries lady between the 2 boats as well


cheers matt

[joeT]

They will definitely pay for all damage. Make a claim through your insurance co. and they will chase them up. You shouldn't have to pay any excess and the incident shouldn't have any effect on your no claims bonus.

[seatime]

Put as much detail into the incident report as u can, especially their angle of approach, speed etc, when they attempted to come alongside.

[waykel]

You should have asked for them to breath test themselves in front of you ;D. I cant believe they went ahead with the safety check after they run into you. The hide of the p#$%*s
Waykel

[seatime]

20 odd years ago the water police did their marine tickets thru TAFE, I did some courses with 2. Now as an RTO they train marine tickets in-house, I'm told, not sure if it's a good or bad thing. Didn't they train the IMMIA skippers in Torres Strait?

[baldyhead]

Why did they give YOU the Marine Incident Form when Clearly it was Their vessel that caused the Marine Incident and therefore their responsibility of completing said Form.
Be careful with this one as some of them can be tricky buggers. >:(

[schrammy79]

They talk about bad boaties on the water maybe the water police should look in their own back yard first.Why would you pull a boat up in the Seaway in the first place? I wouldnt stop and yell at them to meet me at wave break where its safe to do so!!

[Hagar]

Couple of things spring to mind here .

Conditions were ' marginal ' . Correct me if I am wrong but can't the skipper when at sea decline any close proximity manouvering or even boarding in this case with the proviso to follow you to inshore waters for inspection . There was no way to know what was to happen of course but when you are in a big cat conditions look far better than in a small trailerboat.

A cat has two engines . What made them BOTH stop at the same time - you have to wonder when modern engines are so reliable now .

Did they approach you parallel or come in from an angle .

Rather be in your insurance company's boots than theirs.

[88fishframe]

Two engines ??? Good question - I bet he accidently pulled the safety lanyard and cut the power that way. They probably were checking the engines to make it look like a mechanical failure of some sort. I'm pretty sure that with the tax we pay there wouldn't be a problem with limited fuel supplies for our Government Departments. As for both motors - from what I have seen on Police and Customs boats they don't economize on cheap or secondhand equipment, that is for sure.

He obviously passed his coxswains on a good day - probably the afternoon of State of Origin. GO THE MAROONS ;D

[JB]

Mate that sucks, especially when afterwards you cant say " why didn't you watch where ur going you F$!@%n clown! " . I dont understand why there is the "urgency" to speed up to you offshore to check saftey gear , like they are in a cat with twin 200 hp motors, here you and i are in fu%!n tinnies ... where do they think we are gunna go!

Frustrating stuff.

Jas

[Camo]

XLR8, mate you were calmer than I would have been. I think they would probably have had to arrest me for obscene language if it had happend to me. Tell me this though, did they breath test the police officer who was driving the boat.

Camo

[Angla]

It's just an insurance claim. Keep the poor intent out of it. The insurance companies are the ones to point the finger and if you give them all the details then the finger will point to the Water police boat.

Look for high quality repairers IMO.

Treat it like a car accident. I'm sure that even if they were in the wrong they have to 'not say it in words', just as your car insurance demands you do even if you cause an accident.

IT IS JUST THAT SIMPLE!

Angla

[baldyhead]

Reporting marine incidents
Ship masters are required by law to submit a report in the event of any damage or injury caused by a collision, grounding or any other incident. It is important to note that incident reports are also required following any dangerous situation, or any 'near miss'. Penalties apply for failing to submit an incident report when it is required.

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) has the responsibility to collate and analyse the marine incident data provided by those persons involved in marine incidents. This information is gathered into reports by the Maritime Safety Branch, which produces two main reports each year; the annual Marine Safety Incidents Report and the National Marine Safety Committee (Queensland jurisdiction) Report.

Under the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994, a marine incident is classified as:



An event causing or involving



the loss of a person from a ship; or



the death of, or grievous bodily harm to, a person caused by a ship's operations; or



the loss or presumed loss or abandonment of a ship; or



a collision with a ship; or



the stranding of a ship; or



material damage to a ship; or



material damage caused by a ship's operations; or



danger to a person caused by a ship's operations; or



danger of serious damage to a ship; or



danger of serious damage to a structure caused by a ship's operations.









How do I report a marine incident?
A marine incident must be reported to a Shipping Inspector within 48 hours of the incident, unless there is a reasonable excuse. Shipping Inspectors are Marine Safety Officers (located at MSQ marine operations bases), Queensland Water Police officers and Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers.

The report must be made on the approved form (marine incident report form* (PDF, 37kb) F3071). These forms are also available from Queensland Transport customer service centres. This form is used to report all incidents, no matter what type of ship (commercial or recreational) is involved.

The form may be completed with the assistance of a Shipping Inspector to ensure the information is accurate, unbiased and as reliable as possible. It is important that the form is filled in completely, with the incident described in as much detail as possible. The Shipping Inspector who receives the form will check to ensure it has been correctly completed in full detail.

If the initial report is not made in the approved form, the owner or master must make a further report to a Shipping Inspector in the approved form as soon as possible. The master would normally report a marine incident but the owner would report if the master, for some justifiable reason, was not able to make the report. Each marine incident reported will be investigated by a Shipping Inspector and the results of the investigation reported in the approved form.

The investigation may be as simple as a thorough examination of the marine incident report form and a decision that no further action is required, or it may require an investigation complete with interviews, statements, surveyor's reports and the preparation of a prosecution brief.









Why report marine incidents?
The reporting of marine incidents is vital to MSQ. The information gathered assists in the development of infrastructure and education programs which benefit all waterways users.

In addition, reporting a marine incident may assist you if you decide to make insurance claims on any damage.









Learning the lessons from marine incidents
Safety reports are summaries of marine incidents that actually occurred in Queensland. The safety reports highlight the lessons to be learnt from the incident. The cases presented are representative only, and have been selected for the learning points that may benefit mariners confronted with similar circumstances.

[bushbeachboy]

XLR8,
Mate, a bit of a nasty experience. I would be pi$$ed off about the damage too. But it's not going to be plain sailing for the coppers either. They'll spend a lot of time explaining and reporting. After it is investigated, if their actions are deemed to be negligent, they stand to face charges in the courts the same as everyone else. In addition, they would face disciplinary sanctions which could include the loss of pay points (a cost of about $1500 per pay point per year), prevention of promotion for a specified period, or possibly transfer out of the section. In addition there's the personal aspect. How embarrassed would the bloke be that he collided with you?

In any case, your repairs will be paid for. You don't have to pick the most expensive repairer, but I would be picking the best quailty repairer I could find.

As for the coppers themselves, if you felt inclined, you could call and speak to them personally and you'd probably find they're not bad blokes.
Cheers mate
Craig