NTSB – Professional Mariner

11 Sep

NTSB: Land-based firefighters need more training for vessel incidents

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Ports, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a safety alert Wednesday urging greater awareness and training for land-based firefighters who may be called to fight fires aboard vessels in local ports. The safety alert follows several NTSB investigations into deaths and injuries to firefighters. The NTSB found land-based firefighters often lack the necessary training and familiarity with vessel…

28 Aug

Loss of steering led cargo ship to hit bulker in Houston Ship Channel

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — A steering control system component failure on a multi-purpose carrier resulted in the vessel hitting a bulk carrier in the Houston Ship Channel, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. The multi-purpose carrier BBC Africa lost steering as it was departing the channel on Aug. 25, 2023, and struck the moored bulk carrier Common Faith. No injuries…

27 Aug

Shock loading led to parting of lines, barge grounding in Alaska

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On Jan. 11 at 2:50 a.m. local time, the integrated tug and barge (ITB) Krystal Sea/Cordova Provider was transiting Prince William Sound in Alaska when the four lines connecting the tug to the barge parted, causing the barge to uncouple from the tug. The barge drifted, eventually grounding on the coast of Axel Lind Island, Alaska, at about…

04 Aug

Pilot overcompensated for cross-current before Iowa bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — Anticipating a strong cross-current that never materialized, an experienced tow pilot deviated from the sailing line on the Mississippi River and struck components of the Fort Madison Bridge near Fort Madison, Iowa, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. The towing vessel Joe B. Wyatt was pushing 13 loaded hopper barges and two empty tank barges downriver…

04 Aug

Eric Stolzenberg named director of NTSB’s Office of Marine Safety

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry Newscasualties, NTSB

(WASHINGTON) — Longtime mariner and investigator Eric Stolzenberg has been named director of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Office of Marine Safety. The office investigates major marine accidents within the United States and its territories, as well as accidents involving U.S.-flagged vessels worldwide. Stolzenberg began his career at the NTSB in 2008 as an engineering investigator. He served as…

17 Jul

Tow pilot was distracted by cellphone before hitting moored barges

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — A tow pilot’s distraction caused by personal cellphone use resulted in the tow striking moored barges last year on the Lower Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. The towing vessel William B. Klunk was pushing 22 loaded hopper barges on April 17, 2024, when the tow struck moored barges at a fleeting area near…

01 Jul

NTSB releases first report on fatal Brooklyn Bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — On May 17, at 4:24 p.m., ARM Cuauhtemoc BE 01, a Mexican Navy tall ship with 277 crewmembers and cadets aboard, struck the Brooklyn Bridge after departing from Pier 17 in Manhattan on the East River in New York City, damaging all three of the ship’s masts. Two fatalities and 19 injuries, ranging from minor to serious, occurred…

25 Jun

Towboat captain did not identify charted hazard before grounding

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

(WASHINGTON) — A towing vessel grounded on a submerged jetty last year after the captain maneuvered too close to a bank of the Ohio River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. The tow vessel Tom Frazier was pushing 15 empty hopper barges near Portsmouth, Ohio, on Feb. 10, 2024, when the vessel grounded, damaging its hull plating, framing…

03 Jun

Sudden severe weather sinks tugboat south of Galveston

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — Severe weather caused an overwhelming towline force and unrecoverable heeling that led to the capsizing and sinking of a tugboat near Galveston, Texas, last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. On May 13, 2024, while towing the barge MARMAC 27 astern on an 800‑foot‑long wire, the tugboat Baylor J. Tregre encountered severe weather, listed to…

23 May

Towboat grounded when pilot left helm for bladder break

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — A pilot of a towing vessel on the Mississippi River left the helm unattended for several minutes, leading to a grounding near Thebes, Ill., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. While the towing vessel City of Louisville was upbound on the Mississippi River pushing 11 barges on July 29, 2023, it ran aground in a charted…