The towboat veered to starboard toward the south side of the channel then abruptly came to port, nearly blocking the Intracoastal Waterway near Morgan City, La., with its six-barge tow.
Although the pilot helming the 1,700-hp Miss Mollye D. ultimately righted the tow, it didn’t stay that way for long. Less than 15 minutes later it veered to port and struck a bridge with its port lead barge, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The incident happened at 0326 on Dec. 23, 2021, roughly halfway between Morgan City and Amelia, La., on section of the waterway known as Bayou Boeuf. The bridge sustained nearly $2 million in damage.
NTSB investigators could not explain the tow’s movements in the minutes before the bridge strike. “A more likely explanation of the vessel’s erratic movement and the pilot’s actions before and after the casualty is impairment,” the agency said in its report. “Possible causes of impairment include fatigue or drug use.”
The pilot, who was not identified, passed a drug test soon after the incident. But hair samples taken five weeks later indicated he had ingested several types of illegal drugs within the preceding two months. Two of these drugs were not covered by the post-accident testing regimen.
“While the use of either of these drugs could have caused the pilot to be impaired, the specific timing of the drug use could not be determined by the hair sample test,” the report said.
Miss Mollye D. was underway for New Orleans with the six barges and five crewmembers. The 676-foot tow was arranged in a two-wide, three-deep configuration. Two barges carried scrap metal while four others were empty. The loaded barges were in the port barge string in the aft and center positions.
The pilot began his watch at 0000 along with a junior deck hand and an on-call deck hand. The tow locked through the Bayou Boeuf Lock at 0218 and continued east toward New Orleans, at which time the on-call deck hand went to sleep. The other deck hand stayed in the engine room until after the casualty.
Data from the vessel’s AIS and electronic charting system indicate the tow began making unusual movements at about 0300. It first began gradually moving to starboard, toward the south bank, then back to port.
“It continued veering to port until the pilot stopped the tow as the head of the port lead barge, FJC 70B, approached the north bank, leaving the stern of the Miss Mollye D. near the south bank,” the NTSB said in its report. “The tow remained positioned across the width of the channel for eight minutes.”
The pilot later explained this by saying he heard radio reports of fog in the area and questioned whether to continue. He never raised these concerns with the home office or anyone else on board, and at about 0314 he straightened the tow and continued moving east.
After successfully passing a westbound tow a few minutes later, Miss Mollye D. and its barges began veering to port. The pilot told investigators he spent at least a minute looking at weather data on the vessel’s console as the tow careened toward the Route 182 bridge. The span was not illuminated and not required to be given its proximity outside the channel across a waterway that was not navigable.
He recognized the impending bridge strike and reversed the engines but could not prevent the impact. “The momentum of the tow continued to move it forward, and, at 0326, barge FJC 70B struck the bridge,” the report said. “The video showed that the tow’s forward motion stopped suddenly, and the barges pitched upward slightly.
“After contact was made, the pilot illuminated the bridge with one of Miss Mollye D.’s spotlights for about 1 second,” the report continued.
A crewmember aboard another towing vessel saw Miss Mollye D. positioned awkwardly near the bridge and inquired over radio about its intentions. The pilot responded that he was “trying to get it off of this,” the report said, adding that it took almost 15 minutes to back off the span and straighten the tow.
The pilot then aimed the spotlight back at the bridge, panned from left to right for six seconds, and then got back underway. He later told investigators he did not know the tow struck the bridge. Investigators did not believe him.
“Based on the evidence, it is apparent the pilot was aware that the tow hit the bridge, but he did not report the casualty to the relief captain or to the Coast Guard, as required by regulation,” the report said.
The Coast Guard contacted Miss Mollye D.’s captain later that day at about 0900 about the bridge incident. A deck hand checked the lead barge and found broken rigging wires and pieces of concrete later confirmed to be from the Route 182 bridge.
The bridge sustained extensive structural damage above and below the waterline. Water, electrical and gas lines running along the span also were severed, and the bridge was fully closed for three weeks.
Investigators confirmed the pilot was not using his phone during the incident watch, and he said he did not fall asleep or consume alcohol. The NTSB considered that the pilot was fatigued, which can impact alertness and lead to bouts of “microsleep” where someone falls asleep for a few seconds and does not realize it.
They also considered drug impairment following the results of a hair sample taken on Feb. 1, 2022.The sample tested positive for methamphetamine, buprenorphine and fentanyl. Initial drug testing soon after the incident did not find methamphetamine in his system.
Deloach Marine Services of Port Allen, La., operated Miss Mollye D. Attempts to reach the company for comment on the NTSB findings were not successful.