NTSB – Professional Mariner

21 Jul

Usual suspects: High water, fast current in Vicksburg bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On May 5, 2025, at 0957 local time, the towing vessel Myra Eckstein, with a crew of 10 on board, was pushing 25 barges downbound on the Lower Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss., when the lead barge on the starboard side contacted a fixed pier of the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge at mile 435.8. As a result of…

12 Jun

NTSB: Crane operator didn’t verify clearance before boom accident

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Ports

(WASHINGTON) — On June 2, 2024, about 1649 local time, the emissions control barge STAX 1 was capturing emissions from the containership Erving at the Fenix Marine Services Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles. A ship-to-shore container crane struck the barge’s capture-and-control articulated arm, causing it to collapse. Sections of it fell onto the barge, onto Erving, and…

10 Jun

Bridge tender’s miscalculation cited in Louisiana barge strike

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

(WASHINGTON) — On June 6, 2024, about 0512 local time, the towing vessel Josset was transiting the Morgan City-Port Allen Route of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, about 2.7 miles from Crescent, La., pushing three barges, when the lead barge struck the Bayou Grosse Tete Bridge. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported. Damage to the bridge was estimated…

01 Jun

Loss of steering, valve misalignment cited in Vicksburg bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On May 1, 2025, about 1454, the towing vessel Rickey Hughes was pushing 22 barges downbound on the Lower Mississippi River at mile 435.8 near Vicksburg, Miss., when the two lead barges on the starboard side of the tow contacted a fixed pier of the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge. As a result of the contact, seven barges broke…

15 May

Mate tells NTSB autopilot ‘tripped’ before tow hit Virginia bridge

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On June 15, 2024, about 1626 local time, the towing vessel Mackenzie Rose was pushing the loaded deck barge Weeks 281 while transiting the southern branch of the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake, Va., when the barge’s raked bow struck the Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad bridge. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported. The railroad…

13 May

Unexpected current led to Galveston barge breakaway, oil spill

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

(WASHINGTON) — On May 15, 2024, about 0947 local time, the towing vessel LCPL Phillip C George was departing the Texas International Terminal in Galveston, Texas, pushing two loaded tank barges, when the port quarter of the towboat struck a terminal dolphin. One of the barges, MMLP 321, separated from the tow and struck a power transmission pole and the…

13 May

U.S. indicts Dali operators for fatal Baltimore bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, NTSB, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against two companies and an employee connected with the 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, World News Group reported. Dali, a 984-foot containership, crashed into the bridge in the early morning of March 26, 2024. The collapse killed six construction workers on the bridge and resulted in at least $5…

11 May

Captain’s cellphone use cited in collision, sinking of towboat

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On Dec. 29, 2024, about 1934 local time, the towing vessel Patrick J Studdert and bulk carrier Clara B collided while underway on the Lower Mississippi River at mile 122 near Luling, La. Patrick J Studdert sank, forcing all five crewmembers to abandon the vessel into the water. A sheen of diesel fuel was visible downriver. The crew…

29 Apr

Coast Guard suspends search for crew of capsized vessel off Saipan

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Search and rescue, U.S. Coast Guard

(HONOLULU) — The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Tuesday night for the missing crewmembers of the cargo vessel Mariana. Mariana reportedly experienced a disabled engine approximately 140 miles northwest of Saipan on April 15. The six crewmembers aboard at the time of the incident were Frederick L. Nosek Jr., Landon Delos Reyes, Jose L. Ramirez, Mohammed A. Rahaman, Chet R. Brochon, and Vincent B. Agulto. One body…

27 Apr

Fire aboard pipelayer likely involved refrigerator in cabin

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — On Dec. 1, 2024, about 0352, the pipelayer Deep Energy was docked at the Millard Maritime facility in Theodore, Ala., undergoing maintenance, when a fire started in one of the vessel’s three crane cabins. The crew began fighting the fire and contacted the local fire department, which extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The crane cabin on…