The mate helming a towing vessel misjudged a nighttime approach and struck a dock in the Port of Lake Charles, according to federal investigators.
At 2326 local time on July 8, 2023, Danny Terral was pushing six loaded barges northbound on the Calcasieu River when the starboard lead barge hit the pier while docking at the Port of Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana.
The tow remained intact, and there was no reported damage to the barges or the vessel. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Danny Terral departed the Old River Fleet on the Lower Old River near Lettsworth, La., on July 6 at 1355 with five crewmembers, including a captain, mate, steersman in training and two deck hands. The 75-by-42-foot vessel was pushing barges loaded with rock. The two strings of three barges and the vessel measured 675 feet in length and had a maximum width of 70 feet.
At 2120 on July 8, Danny Terral entered the Calcasieu Ship Channel and headed north toward Lake Charles. The captain and steersman were on watch in the wheelhouse and a deck hand was also on watch.
Just before 2315, the mate arrived in the wheelhouse for his scheduled 2330 watch, the report said. A plan to moor at the Port of Lake Charles was discussed and the captain departed the wheelhouse. The steersman remained. The tow was moving at 4.5 knots at the time, according to NTSB officials.
A transcript of an interview with the mate on July 20, 2023, shows he told investigators he pulled the engines back about a mile away from the dock to prepare for the landing. He turned his port spotlight forward as he prepared to approach the pier.
There was no fog or rain, and the mate reported the visibility was good. He could see the pier with his spotlights but the structure itself had no lights on it. He communicated with a deck hand by VHF radio but he could not remember if they discussed distances from the dock.
He told investigators that, for the docking, he was attempting to turn the head of the tow to port while slowing the tow’s forward momentum. As the tow rounded a bend, the head stopped swinging to port but the tow still had forward momentum, the report said.
The lead starboard barge contacted the pier at 2 knots. The mate maneuvered the tow astern away from the dock and the captain returned to the wheelhouse and subsequently landed the tow at the pier.
The mate told investigators he had assisted in docking at the Lake Charles Pier once prior to the incident. He blamed the river conditions for the fact that the head of the tow didn’t move forward as he expected during the approach.
The unique configuration of the pier was also discussed.
In an interview with investigators on July 20, 2023, one deck hand said he was on his way to the front of the barges and was not making calls on distance when the crash happened.
“The captain hadn’t requested distance at that time. I was merely getting ready to tie up,” the deck hand told investigators.
He also said visibility was good for the middle of the night. He was about 150 feet forward of Danny Terral on a barge when the collision occurred. He told investigators he observed damage to the pier spanning 30 to 40 feet and saw timber on the starboard lead barge.
He explained that other mariners have had issues approaching this dock in the past.
“When we get close to the dock the current sometimes pushes them out, and they have to stop their approach, and get out on the side, and help ease it in because the current is too strong or the tide really is too strong at the time for them to drive in,” the deck hand said.
When U.S. Coast Guard officials inspected the pier the day after the incident, they found damage to the pier support pylons and undergirding spanning about 40 feet in length.
NTSB officials said investigators were not able to interview the captain of Danny Terral, so it is unclear if the mate and captain discussed the outgoing current, berth location or his experience at the Port of Lake Charles during the watch change. There was no indication that a navigation assessment form was updated for the docking.
“Either a discussion on the maneuver or a review of the navigation assessment form would have given the captain and mate the opportunity to assess the risks associated with the docking. However, the captain left the wheelhouse immediately after the watch change. If the captain had any reservations or concerns about the docking, he should have remained on the bridge,” according to the NTSB.
Danny Terral is owned by Terral River Service. Attempts to reach the company for comment on the incident were not successful.