Casualty News – Professional Mariner

Inadvertent lifeboat release seriously injures engineer

A second engineer crawled inside a free-fall lifeboat sitting more than 60 feet above the water aboard the bulk carrier Golden Zhejiang on the morning of Sept. 2, 2023, at around 0900. As part of routine weekly safety checks, the second engineer started the lifeboat’s engine and checked the interior lights. He asked the fourth engineer to step outside and…

Unauthorized blowtorch use cited in lethal explosion aboard NYC sludge vessel

A deadly 2025 explosion aboard a sludge boat in New York’s Hudson River was likely the result of unauthorized blowtorch use that ignited methane released from one of the vessel’s cargo holds, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Hunts Point, a nearly 289-foot-long liquid bulk cargo or “sludge” vessel, was docked at the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant…

Miscalculation leads to costly Louisiana bridge strike

The lead barge on the Josset tow was empty and sat high out of the water, partially obstructing the pilot’s view. It was a few hours before dawn in June 2024, and the 55-foot towboat was pushing three barges toward the Bayou Grosse Tête Bridge over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The tow stretched nearly 700 feet. But as the lead…

Crane procedures, communication cited in $3.2 million casualty

Better planning, clearer procedures and the use of a signalman could have helped prevent an incident at the Port of Los Angeles that resulted in $3.2 million in damage. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report, on June 2, 2024, at about 1649 local time, the emissions control barge STAX 1 was capturing emissions from the containership Erving at…

Engine room fire aboard bulk carrier blamed on faulty O-ring seal

A failed O-ring seal likely led to a fuel leak and costly engine room fire aboard the bulk carrier Lem Verbena while the vessel was docked in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 4, 2025, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In a March 2026 report, the NTSB said the fire caused $5.5 million in damage to the vessel, though…

Oliver Hazard Perry flooded by corroded cooling pipe

Sometime around 2100 on May 10, 2025, a freshwater tank sensor on the tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry sounded. New shorepower breakers had recently been installed on the pier, and the crew had been troubleshooting the vessel’s electrical system because the shore breakers had been tripping. A bosun investigated the alarm and made a visual inspection of the engine room…

High water and drifting debris set stage for Ohio River barge breakaway

High water gripped the Ohio River Valley in April 2024, with swollen rivers flooding communities from West Virginia to Indiana. Near Evansville, Ind., the river was still rising when two loaded tank barges were moored overnight at a Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) terminal. Crews used “enhanced measures” when mooring barges, using extra lines and wires, according to a report by…

MarAd honors Stena Immaculate crew with rare Gallant Ship Award

One of the highest distinctions in American merchant shipping was awarded to the crew of a U.S.-flagged tanker in recognition of its “professionalism, courage and commitment to safety” following a catastrophic casualty. Twenty-three Crowley mariners who served aboard the 600-foot tanker Stena Immaculate received the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Gallant Ship Award during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Maritime Day…

SAFETY ALERT: Know your boat : Responding to an engine high-temperature alarm

An engine high-temperature alarm is often treated as a maintenance problem, but according to the U.S. Coast Guard, it can quickly become a life-threatening emergency. In a June Safety Alert, the Coast Guard highlighted a fatal fire aboard a small passenger vessel that began after the vessel’s crew responded incorrectly to an engine overheating alarm. While attempting to cool the…

Fatigue, autopilot scrutinized in $15.8M bridge strike

A s the nearly 290-by-55-foot Mackenzie Rose tow approached the Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Bridge on a calm summer day in 2024, the tow began to swing to port at a turn rate of 12° per minute. The mate — who investigators would go on to determine was likely experiencing cumulative fatigue from an extended hitch — was…