The Wakashio Accident: Are we learning from accidents

Less than a month ago, the long-awaited 𝗪𝗮𝗸𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 was released by the Court of Investigation, Mauritius.

The report cites the following as the primary causes of the accident:

1) crew negligence to sail close to the island to obtain the phone signal,

2) consumption of alcohol by the captain before groundingand,

3) the chief officer not using the appropriate large scale chart when navigating close to the coast.Both the captain and the chief officer have been charged with gross negligence and culpability. The investigation authorities have formally requested the administration to withdraw captain's certificate of competence.It is rather unfortunate that a 223-page comes to this convenient conclusion.

In this podcast, I present an alternative view of the accident. Instead of a simplified narrative that is directed at blaming the crew members, I have made an attempt to question the methodology (and the language) used in the accident report and illustrated the biases and assumptions of the investigation team in analysing the accident and compiling the report. In my view, all the three contributing factors that led to the accident presented by the investigation agency are highly questionable, and when we dig deeper, we come to a very different conclusion of this accident.

About me:

Dr. Nippin Anand is the Founder and CEO of Novellus Solutions, a consultancy specializing in human-centred approaches to learning, risk and social decision making. He is a former master mariner with an MSc in Economics and a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Anthropology. Nippin brings a Transdisciplinary lens to the challenges of work and organising spanning: the humanities, social psychology, mythology, semiotics, anthropology and philosophy.