Casualty News – Page 10 – Professional Mariner

Tugboat loses steering, grounds in narrow Alaska strait

An oceangoing tugboat lost its steering while transiting a narrow strait northwest of Sitka, Alaska, and its cargo barge collided with the vessel and pushed it aground. The 3,000-hp Western Mariner ran onto a rocky beach along the Neva Strait after the impact with its cargo barge Chichagof Provider. The grounding on March 21 at about 0300 ruptured a forward…

Ever Forward refloated after 35 days in Chesapeake Bay

Salvage crews freed the loaded containership Ever Forward on April 17, 35 days after it grounded in Chesapeake Bay. The 1,095-foot ship left the navigation channel and became stuck near Gibson Island, north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, on March 13 at about 2100. There were no injuries among the crew, no pollution, and the ship did not block maritime…

Impact with lock gate attributed to captain’s ‘sleep inertia’

The captain of a towboat that pushed its lead barge into a Louisiana lock gate was battling “sleep inertia” at the time, according to federal investigators. The 2,000-hp Ava Claire entered the Leland Bowman Lock in Intercoastal City, La., with two loaded tank barges on March 22, 2021, at 0519. The 298-foot HFL 439 hit the western gate at…

Crewmembers’ effective response contains OSV fire near Hawaii

A fire aboard an offshore supply vessel near Hawaii has been traced to a catastrophic mechanical failure on a diesel generator engine, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said. Crew aboard the 243-foot Ocean Intervention contained and extinguished the blaze in the engine room before it could spread to other parts of the ship. No injuries were reported among the…

‘I just hit the bridge’: NTSB cites poor communication in Louisiana collision

Poor communication between a towboat captain and railroad bridge tender was the primary cause of a bridge strike east of New Orleans, federal investigators determined. Robert Cenac pushed an empty barge that struck the CSX Railway Rigolets Bridge across Lake Borgne as it swung open. The bridge sustained $1.1 million in damage from the incident, which happened on…

NTSB finds faulty planning in deadly Texas pipeline incident

Federal investigators identified poor planning and insufficient risk management as leading factors in the deadly August 2020 dredge explosion in Corpus Christi, Texas. The cutterhead on the 152-foot dredge Waymon Boyd struck a submerged liquid propane pipeline at about 0800 on Aug. 21, 2020, while dredging in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The gas ignited, causing an explosion that ultimately…

U.S.-bound vehicle carrier catches fire, sinks off the Azores

A vehicle carrier loaded with European automobiles caught fire and later sank in the Atlantic Ocean while under tow toward the Azores. The fire aboard the 656-foot Felicity Ace started at about 0930 local time on Feb. 16 while the vessel was about 90 nautical miles southwest of the Azores. The captain ordered the 22 crewmembers to abandon ship later…

Mariner dies after injury aboard Great Lakes freighter

A Michigan man who worked as a second mate aboard the Great Lakes freighter Walter J. McCarthy Jr. died after an unspecified incident aboard the vessel. The victim has been identified as Richard Gray, 35, of Traverse City, Mich. Ship personnel notified the U.S. Coast Guard of the incident at about 1300 on Jan. 17, said Lt. Rachel Auld with…

Canadian icebreaker, bulker damaged in St. Lawrence River collision

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is investigating a collision involving one of its icebreakers and a bulk carrier on the St. Lawrence River. The bow of the 620-foot Singapore-flagged Federal Crimson struck the stern of the icebreaker CCGS Pierre Radisson on Jan. 22 at about 1045 near Quebec City, according to CCG spokeswoman Emilie Proteau-Beaulieu. No one was injured but…

NTSB: Swing bridge over-rotated into waterway before barge strike

A swing bridge over the Barataria Waterway in South Louisiana over-rotated into the navigable waterway before getting hit by a passing barge, federal investigators said. The impact knocked the Barataria Bridge out of service for nearly a week. Repairs to the span, which links the towns of Jean Lafitte and Barataria, cost more than $500,000. The bridge was subsequently destroyed…