Federal investigators believe “undetected damage” caused a facing wire to snap and two barges to break away from their tow in the Lower Mississippi River near West Memphis, Ark., earlier this year.
The 200-by-35-foot barges, ACL23401 and ACBL2549, remained tethered together as they drifted downriver with the current and struck a Port of West Memphis dock at about 1240 on Jan. 29, 2024. Nobody was hurt and there was no pollution reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the tow was made up to the barges with 1.5-inch facing wires on the port and starboard sides, along with a center bow line. The wires were considered appropriately sized for the tow and tightly secured before the vessels got underway. Visual inspection by the crew raised no red flags.
“Given that there were no visible indications of problems with the condition of the starboard facing wire, it likely parted due to deterioration to its wire strands that was not detected during visual inspections,” the NTSB said in its report released in September.
The 69-foot, 2,000-hp Nell Womack got underway before noon on Jan. 29 with two barges in tow, each carrying steel coils, headed for a dock some 16 river miles upriver. The vessel had a captain and two deck hands on board. Conditions were clear, with relatively calm winds and a current ranging between 3 and 5 knots.
The tow was arranged with ACBL2549 forward and ACL23401 aft. Nell Womack made up to ACL23401 primarily through the two 1.5-inch-diameter facing wires made fast using deck winches controlled from the wheelhouse.
Wepfer Marine, which operated Nell Womack, had a company policy to inspect facing wires at least every quarter and replace them when they showed visible damage. The facing wires appeared to have been in service roughly 3.5 months.
The incident voyage was uneventful until about 1230 when the tow approached a bend near mile marker 727.5 that directed the roughly 4-knot current crosswise into the tow’s starboard side. The captain recalled hearing a loud pop and seeing the starboard facing wire part.
The current began pushing the barges downriver and dragging Nell Womack with them. Sensing the dangerous situation, the captain ordered the deck hands to disconnect the port wire, which remained connected during the ordeal.
“After the deckhands disconnected the port facing wire, the two barges, still connected to each other, drifted downriver with the current,” the report said. “The captain maneuvered the vessel in an attempt to regain control of the barges, but, about 1240, roughly 1,200 feet from where the tow became disconnected, barge ACBL2549 struck the southern corner of the Port of West Memphis dock.”
The dock sustained damage to eight structural pylons, the report said, five of which were completely severed. ACBL2549 required only minor repairs, while ACL23401 and Nell Womack were not damaged. Total losses from the incident were about $500,000.
There was no obvious reason why the wire parted, according to the NTSB.
“The starboard facing wire parted around the halfway mark between the winch and the bitt,” the report said. “A visual inspection of the starboard facing wire conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and the company after the casualty did not identify any deficiency that may have contributed to the parting. The wire was not available for further testing.”
The agency further determined the force of the current “acting disproportionately (stronger force) on the starboard side of the lead barge, would have placed additional stress on the point where ACL23401 was connected to the Nell Womack on the starboard side.”
Wepfer Marine did not respond to an inquiry from Professional Mariner about the incident. •