Ship ran aground after chief officer left bridge 'to go to the toilet'

CEG Orbit ran aground at Cranstal in August 2021

A ship which ran aground in the north of the Isle of Man last year did so after the chief officer left the bridge to go to the toilet.

The CEG Orbit was travelling from Liverpool to Belfast when it came aground at Cranstal in the early hours of the morning on 26 August.

An investigation report says the officer in charge felt a sudden 'sharp pain in his intestines' at around 2am and left for the toilet which was the deck below.

Fifteen minutes later the ship's Engineer Officer who had been resting in his cabin was awoken by the hull vibrations caused by the grounding.

It's said the vessel ran aground at the 'worst possible time' to try and re-float, due to the 'spring tide'.

There were no injuries during the incident, nor did it cause any pollution to the area, the report says.

The CEG Orbit was re-floated the following day with assistance from a Manx tug boat, on what was the second attempt.