Regardless of the industry you work in, whether shipping, oil and gas, onshore and quayside, or subsea, the fundamentals of crane incident investigation remain the same.
Fundamentally, a crane is a crane.
The scale and level of complexity can vary from basic utility applications through to common bulker and offshore models, and on to bespoke, complex subsea and large offshore construction units, but the physics, the failure modes, the maintenance requirements, and the risks do not change. Cranes, whether marine, offshore or onshore specification, are multi-system assemblies, which integrate a complex mix of structural, mechanical, electrical and electronic systems. All linked by a single common denominator: the crane operator.
When failures occur, the investigation requires a systematic, evidence-based approach across all these domains simultaneously.
Categories of Failures
There are a number of ways to classify and categorise failures, but they can broadly be grouped into the following:
1. Design, Fabrication & Commissioning Failures
These typically present as early-life failures, though not exclusively. Contributing factors may include:
• Fundamental structural or mechanical design deficiencies
• Manufacturing QA shortfalls, spanning procurement, fabrication, and quality control
• Incorrect assembly or unsanctioned deviations from specification
• Inadequate commissioning and load testing
• Transportation or shipping damage
Investigation relies heavily on the documentary record: design calculations, Factory Acceptance Reports, commissioning procedures, load test certificates, and Class documentation. Where modifications have been made, the absence of formal design authority approval or a Management of Change (MOC) process is a significant red flag.
In a world of advanced design tools, robust quality systems and enhanced communications throughout the whole process, from initial specification through to final installation and commissioning, these types of failures are becoming less common. However, they still exist. When they do occur, the volume of photographic and video footage now available throughout the design and build process is astounding and can often provide the clues needed to unpick what went wrong.
Consequences:
• Best case: Equipment unavailable to be put into service, leading to delays and financial impacts
• Worst case: Catastrophic failure of equipment leading to significant damage or injury
2. Maintenance & Inspection Failures
This is probably the most frequently encountered failure category in crane incidents. Contributing factors typically include:
• Lack of an adequate maintenance regime
• Manufacturer recommendations are not incorporated into the vessel’s Planned Maintenance Systems (PMS)
• Maintenance regimes are not followed or are incorrectly conducted
• Undocumented or unsanctioned modifications, running repairs and workarounds
• Poor quality repairs
• Structural neglect
• Normalised ongoing incremental degradation in condition, e.g. corrosion, leaks and weeps, loss of control responses
Investigations involving maintenance issues will typically involve the examination of PMS records and direct physical inspection of the crane and failed components. However, they can extend into more specialist territory, including forensic strip down of components, laboratory-based testing such as grease sampling, metallurgy and fractography, spares usage analysis, and even replication of failure modes through modelling or physical testing.
Having written and managed more than a few crane maintenance strategies during my career, I take a particular interest in identifying, during any technical investigation, what the early warning signals for a given failure mode might have looked like, and how these could have been detected and monitored in service before failure occurred. In my experience, chasing subtle clues and signals tends to produce a more robust investigation than the often-cited conclusion of “defective parts.”
Consequences:
• Best case: Cranes and equipment inoperable, leading to delays and off-hire costs
• Worst case: Catastrophic failure of equipment leading to significant damage or injury
Having knowledgeable crane operators with a strong sense of ownership of their equipment is your best front line defence against these types of issues.
3. Operational Failures: “Human Error?”
One aspect of crane safety that I feel particularly strongly about is the role of human factors. Statistics consistently show that a significant proportion of lifting incidents have “human error” cited as a contributing cause, but that label is too often where the investigation stops, rather than where it should start. People do not simply make mistakes for no reason. Fatigue, workload, time pressure, poor communication, inadequate training, and unclear procedures all create the conditions in which errors become more likely. These are known as Performance Influencing Factors, or PIFs, and understanding them is central to any meaningful investigation of an operational failure.
Key investigative considerations in this category include:
• Competency certification: validity, issuing authority, and relevance to the specific equipment and operation. Certification is only part of the overall competence picture, but it is a good lead into more in-depth investigation
• Rigging and slinging practices: incorrect techniques, inadequate tag-line use, unsuitable Cargo Handling Instructions, and lack of demonstrated competency
• Deliberate bypassing of safety limits or operational modes: physical evidence of bypass mechanisms or SLI data logs, if available, are critical
• CCTV and video footage, where available, often provide objective supporting evidence of crane motions, load behaviour, and team dynamics that witness statements, frequently unreliable or contradictory, cannot replicate
• Applying the “substitution test” appropriately to determine whether we are looking at a systemic failing or an individual fault
Consequences:
• Best case: Minor damage to rigging, cargo, vessel or facilities. Off-hire or repair liabilities
• Worst case: Catastrophic failure of crane or cargo leading to significant damage or injury
Bringing It All Together
The principles that govern safe crane operations are universal. Physics is physics. Cranes are cranes. People are people. These fundamentals do not shift depending on whether you are offshore, in a port, quayside, or onshore. Properly planned lifts, competently executed by trained personnel, with well-maintained and fit-for-purpose equipment - these go well. Start compromising any one of those elements, and the conditions for an incident begin to take shape. Compromise more than one, and the risk compounds quickly.
Investigating a crane-related incident is, at its core, about sorting through the available evidence to piece together what changed, what failed, and why, and to understand how those elements came together on that particular day.
What Solis Marine Does
Our crane engineering team provides specialist services to the marine and shipping industry across four main areas:
• Incident Investigation – When something goes wrong, understanding why is essential, not only to establish what happened, but to prevent it from happening again. We conduct thorough, independent investigations into crane-related incidents and near misses, drawing on deep technical knowledge and operational experience.
• Expert Witness Support – Where a crane incident leads to legal or insurance proceedings, clear and credible technical evidence is critical. We provide expert witness services, translating complex engineering matters into clear, well-reasoned assessments that stand up to scrutiny.
• Maintenance and Procedural Reviews – Many crane incidents are preventable. We carry out detailed reviews of maintenance regimes and operational procedures, identifying gaps, inconsistencies, and areas of risk before they become incidents.
• Audits – We conduct crane audits across a wide range of vessel and equipment types, giving owners and operators a clear picture of where they stand against industry standards and best practice.
Always Here to Help
Solis Marine provides specialist crane engineering services to the marine insurance industry, shipowners, port authorities and legal professionals worldwide. We deliver comprehensive technical expertise in crane damage investigation, assessment and repair.
At Solis Marine, we believe that good advice should be accessible. If you have a crane-related question, however straightforward or complex, we are always happy to talk it through and point you in the right direction. You do not need to be facing a crisis to pick up the phone. Whether you need formal support or simply a conversation with someone who knows cranes, we are here.
For more in-depth information please contact Colin Duncan.