(WASHINGTON) — The bulk carrier American Mariner was leaving a dock near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, last year when the master — acting alone on the bridge during complicated maneuvers — overshot a turn and grounded on shoals, damaging three ballast water tanks, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported Tuesday.
The vessel was heading outbound in the Vidal Shoals Channel en route to Superior, Wis., when it grounded on Jan. 7, 2023. NTSB investigators found that the master of the vessel was alone on the bridge at the time. Other factors compromising the master’s ability to successfully navigate the vessel included transiting in the dark, unlit channel buoys, and not using all available features in the electronic chart system.
The NTSB found that the master’s initial angle of departure from the dock and close approach to the shoal water positioned the vessel at a poor angle to successfully maneuver into the channel, which resulted in the vessel overshooting the turn and grounding on the opposite side of the channel. The grounding resulted in $600,000 of damage to the vessel. No pollution or injuries were reported.
“While maneuvering in confined waters, it is difficult for a single bridge crewmember to effectively drive, look out and monitor and use available bridge equipment,” the report said. “Owners, operators and vessel masters are responsible for ensuring that vessel bridge teams are staffed with a sufficient number of certificated/credentialed mariners who are familiar with all bridge navigation equipment and able to independently take immediate action.”
Click here to read the complete report.
– National Transportation Safety Board
