Casualty News – Page 5 – Professional Mariner

Undetermined failure in washdown system sinks aged industrial vessel in Alaska

As they were en route to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in November 2024, the captain and deckhand aboard the 110-foot industrial vessel Cape Douglas suddenly found nearly 4 feet of water in the engine room. A high-water bilge alarm, located in the center of the engine room, had not activated. “The captain told investigators that, based on his experience with Cape…

Origin of towboat fire undetermined, but old wiring a likely culprit

The towboat Lucinda Smith had been moored in New Bedford, Mass., for several months when a smoke alarm went off late at night on Dec. 7, 2024. Investigating the alarm, the engineer observed smoke coming from under the door and through the vents of the first mate’s stateroom. “He stated that when he opened the door to the stateroom to…

Distracted, fatigued pilot led to tow’s collision with moored barges on Mississippi River

On an early spring 2024 morning near Baton Rouge, La., a towing vessel pushing 22 barges on the lower Mississippi River struck several moored barges, causing one minor injury and roughly $810,000 in damage, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Investigators said the pilot’s fatigue and personal cell phone use contributed to the April 17,…

LIVE CASUALTIES: Explosion reported on coal-carrying bulker in Baltimore

On Aug. 18, an explosion on a Liberian-flagged ship filled with coal rattled the Patapsco River, not far from where the Francis Scott Key Bridge once stood. Remote cameras caught a fireball emanating from the near the bow of the 751-foot, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier W-Sapphire. At approximately 1830 on Aug. 18, National Capital Region watch standers received a mayday call…

LIVE CASUALTIES: Bulk carrier loses propulsion, runs aground near Montreal

Following a complete loss of engine power, a 590-foot bulk carrier grounded in the St. Lawrence River near Vercheres, Quebec — about 30 miles east of Montreal — on Aug. 12. The Marshall Islands-flagged Federal Yamaska was carrying sugar when it grounded and remained partially in a shipping channel, though other vessels were able to navigate around it, according to…

Captain failed to identify charted jetties, ran towboat aground

The Ohio River was completely dark at around 1855 in February 2024 as the 136-foot-long towboat Tom Frazier pushed 15 empty barges upbound, toward Portsmouth, Ohio. The 1979-built vessel was maneuvering to pass a downbound tow by heading for a common area where upbound vessels often diverted to give way. Running parallel with the right descending bank but outside the…

Canadian tour boat deviates voyage plan amid limited visibility and runs aground

After a passenger vessel hit bottom during a tour of the area near Halifax, Nova Scotia, in October 2022, Canadian transportation officials cited the hazards of deviating from a voyage plan. Kawartha Spirit had 54 passengers, a tour guide and four crewmembers on board when it departed Tall Ships Quay at 1130 on Oct. 26, 2022. It was scheduled to take…

Towboat captain faulted for barge contact with power poles, bridge near Galveston

Misjudgment by the captain of the towing vessel Duke resulted in one of the barges in his charge striking three electricity transmission poles and a bridge outside Galveston, Texas, in July 2023, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The 84.5-foot-long towing vessel Duke was barely underway, having departed from Gaveston’s Texas International Terminal with a five-person crew at…

Steering failure leads to collision with moored ship in Houston

After multiple steering and mechanical tests prior to departure, the 390-foot multipurpose vessel BBC Africa got underway on Aug. 25, 2023, from the Manchester Terminal in Houston, Texas. After transferring controls from the port wing back to the bridge, the pilot ordered a 10-degree starboard turn. The rudder initially responded, then unexpectedly went hard to port. The master switched the…

Tow vessel grounds in Mississippi River after pilot leaves helm to urinate

An unattended pilothouse likely led to the July 2023 grounding of the tow vessel City of Louisville on the Upper Mississippi River near Thebes, Ill., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded in a recent report. The 138-foot-long, steel-hulled City of Louisville sustained an estimated $2 million in damages, but none of its eight crew was injured in the July…