NTSB – Professional Mariner

01 Jun

Five die, eight missing after liftboat capsizes near Port Fourchon

Casualty NewsCoast Guard, Gulf of Mexico, marine casualties, mariners, maritime accidents, maritime casualties, maritime fatalities, maritime news, NTSB, SEACOR Power

Five people died and eight others remain missing after a liftboat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, La., after encountering hurricane-force winds while underway. The 234-foot SEACOR Power rolled over at about 1630 on April 13, roughly 7 nautical miles from the port. The vessel came to rest on the seafloor partially submerged. Winds had exceeded 80…

01 Jun

Crew escapes after engine rod failure leads to towboat fire

Casualty NewsCity of Cleveland, Lower Mississippi River, mariners, maritime accidents, maritime industry, maritime news, NTSB

The 140-foot City of Cleveland was pushing 18 barges up the Lower Mississippi River when the captain heard a sound similar to a log hitting a propeller. Moments later, the port engine stopped and flames erupted from the engine room. The nine crewmembers on the towboat escaped to a barge and were later rescued by a good Samaritan vessel. No one was…

02 May

Towboat pilot ‘tried to outrun’ current before Louisiana bridge strike

Casualty NewsAmerican River Transportation Co., Cooperative Spirit, Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge, mariners, maritime accidents, maritime news, Mississippi River, NTSB

The pilot of a towboat pushing 29 barges down the Mississippi River failed to compensate for the fast-moving current before hitting a bridge pier near Luling, La., federal investigators said. Cooperative Spirit’s tow broke apart after striking the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge at 0113 on March 15, 2020. One barge sank and another was destroyed. Total damage and lost cargo…

22 Dec

Casualty Briefs

Casualty NewsBlount Island, Coast Guard, Hoegh Xiamen, Jacksonville, maritime casualties, NTSB, Sabine Pass, Sagami, Texas

Crewman missing, presumed dead after falling from ship off Texas A 27-year-old mariner sailing aboard the tanker Sagami is missing and presumed dead after falling into the Gulf of Mexico near Sabine Pass, Texas. The victim, whose name and nationality were not identified, worked aboard the 557-foot tanker registered in Panama. He fell overboard at about 1906 on Dec. 2…

22 Dec

NTSB: Pilot’s actions, bulker’s speed led to Virginia wharf strike

Casualty NewsChesapeake, Elizabeth River, G.M. McAllister, Ijssel Confidence, NGL Energy Partners, NTSB

The bulk carrier Ijssel Confidence backed toward a turning basin on the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake, Va., with two tugboats ready to assist as needed. The 590-foot ship, under the direction of a docking pilot, picked up speed over the next 15 minutes. G.M. McAllister, a 4,000-hp tug positioned at the stern, became boxed in and hit infrastructure at the…

01 Oct

NTSB cites lack of ‘decision point’ in Atchafalaya bridge strike

Casualty Newscasualty, NTSB

Edna T. Gattle and the spud barge Terral 2 approached the Union Pacific Railway Bridge over the Atchafalaya River when the towboat’s captain requested the swing bridge open. Twenty-one minutes later, as the tow came within a half mile of the span, it was still closed. The captain backed down and moved several hundred feet upriver against a current that…