Casualty News – Professional Mariner

15 Jan

Tow breaks apart after barge takes on water, rapidly sinks

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On March 16, 2024, about 0008 local time, the towing vessel Chad Pregracke was transiting southbound on the Lower Mississippi River pushing 34 loaded barges near mile 260.6, about 5 miles east of New Roads, La. The barge PTC 706 at the head of the tow rapidly sank, causing the tow to break apart. Five barges in the…

14 Jan

NTSB cites compromised hatch in sinking of Lower Miss. towboat

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — On June 12, 2024, about 1530 local time, the towing vessel Cajole was upbound on the Lower Mississippi River near Waggaman, La., when the vessel began flooding. The two crewmembers aboard attempted to pump out the vessel but were unsuccessful. They tied off to a nearby barge and evacuated to a good Samaritan vessel. Cajole later sank. There…

10 Jan

Coast Guard releases report on fatal ship fire at Port Newark

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsPorts, U.S. Coast Guard

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis recently released a report of investigation (ROI) regarding the fire on the Italian-flagged cargo vessel Grande Costa D'Avorio and subsequent fatalities of two Newark Fire Department firefighters. The vessel was conducting cargo operations at Berth 18 at Port Newark, N.J., on July 5, 2023, at the time…

08 Jan

Steering system ‘degradations’ cited in collision involving OSV

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — On March 17, 2024, at 2253 local time, the offshore supply vessel (OSV) Jack Edwards was in the Atlantic Ocean transiting inbound to Georgetown, Guyana, when it veered to port and collided with the outbound general cargo vessel Julie C. After the collision, Jack Edwards continued to Georgetown under its own power. Julie C returned briefly to Georgetown…

30 Dec

Captain fell asleep before tugboat hit Cape Disappointment docks

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — On Sept. 11, 2024, the towing vessel Schweiger was transiting the Baker Bay West Channel near Ilwaco, Wash., when it struck the U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment docks at 12:36 p.m. after veering out of the channel. There were no injuries. About 20 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the waterway as a result of the contact.…

23 Dec

NTSB: Unlit barges, reduced visibility led to Lower Miss. allision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On Dec. 10, 2023, about 0139 local time, a tow guided by the towboat William E Strait was pushed in to the bank on the Lower Mississippi River near Norco, La., when the towing vessel Steel Skipper, which was reconfiguring the tow, pushed it astern. William E Strait contacted two moored barges upstream at the Shell Norco Refinery…

19 Dec

Improperly secured lithium-ion batteries cited in cargo ship fires

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Heavy weather and an improperly secured cargo of lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) units led to two fires aboard the 410-foot cargo vessel Genius Star XI as it was transiting the North Pacific Ocean on Christmas Day 2023, causing $3.8 million in damage, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. Investigators determined that improperly secured lashing…

18 Dec

False alarm from oil mist detector led to engine shutdown, grounding

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsshipping, TSB

(DORVAL, Quebec) — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its investigation report into the 2024 grounding of the general cargo vessel Heemskerkgracht in the South Shore Canal of the St. Lawrence Seaway off Kahnawake, Quebec. On August 22, 2024, Heemskerkgracht ran aground after the main engine shut down due to the activation of a false alarm on…

01 Dec

Bulker refloated after grounding in Detroit River in high winds

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(DETROIT) — A Canadian-flagged bulk carrier that ran aground Wednesday night in the Detroit River was refloated Thursday with the assistance of tugboats, local media reported. The bulker Robert S. Pierson, en route from Windsor, Ontario, to Lorain, Ohio, with 18,000 tons of stone, reportedly attempted to drop anchor Wednesday night due to strong winds in the area. The ship…

01 Dec

Four crewmen injured in boxship fire at Port of Wilmington

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsPorts, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(WILMINGTON, Del.) — Four crewmembers were injured, one seriously, after fire broke out aboard a containership Wednesday in the Port of Wilmington. At about 9:30 a.m., the crew of the Liberian-flagged Chiquita Voyager reported a fire in the engine room. Personnel from multiple agencies responded to the incident, including units from the Wilmington Fire Department, New Castle County Emergency Management…