An expert committee set up by the Andhra government to probe the crane crash that claimed 11 lives at Visakhapatnam Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has found that structural and design issues are the reasons behind the mishap. Earlier this month, a giant crane crashed in HSL premises, raising safety concerns in the coastal city that is witnessing a series of 'disasters'.
Soon after the incident, an expert committee was constituted to look into the matter. Led by the Visakhapatnam urban RDO, the six-member committee consisted of professors from Andhra University's departments of Electronics Communications Engineering , Mechanical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, and a Roads & Buildings engineer. It has now submitted its report to District Collector V Vinay Chand.
According to TNIE, the committee said that the manufacturing and design defects in a crane supplied by the Anupama Crane Company Limited had caused the accident.
The expert committee's report found that the entire mishap took place in less than 10 seconds, as the link between the gears and disc brake along with the electric hydraulics failed, resulting in breaking of basement bolts and leading to the tilting of the crane. The automatic system which backs up during the technical break down was also said to have failed. The committee has also found that the crane had no proven track record, and its design earlier failed at the Mumbai port.
Speaking about the expert committee report, the Collector said that the team of experts conducted an investigation into multiple angles before submitting the report. He said the report will be sent to the Police Commissioner of Visakhapatnam for further action.
The committee is also said to have found that the crane has failed in load testing in 2018 as the carbon brushes and insulators detached at the time. The Collector stated that the committee even noted that a glitch was found in a load testing of the crane earlier in July.
There was an oil leak from one of the two gear boxes of the crane, resulting in a subsequent decrease in lubrication, the committee said.
The Collector said that a third-party review of the design and structure was now in place.