NTSB – Professional Mariner

25 May

NTSB: Incorrect bearing led to OSV fire near Seattle

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — An incorrectly sized bearing led to an engine failure and fire last year on board an offshore supply vessel near Seattle, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. On May 27, 2022, the supply vessel Ocean Guardian was conducting a sea trial in Shilshole Bay when its No. 3 diesel generator engine suffered a mechanical failure, resulting…

03 Apr

Safety blog: Lessons from the sinking of Marine Electric

Rich MillerMaritime Newscasualties, NTSB, safety

By James Scheffer, strategic adviser, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Office of Marine Safety It’s been 40 years since the large bulk carrier SS Marine Electric tragically sank on Feb. 12, 1983, off the Virginia coast. Nearly all aboard — 31 of 34 souls — were lost. But I remember the events of that tragic day as if they happened…

03 Apr

NTSB: Lack of spotter led to crane toppling off Virginia barge

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — A crane toppled off a Virginia barge last year because no spotter was present to notice the crane being driven too far aft, and the cable system securing the crane to the barge failed, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined. While working on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project near Norfolk on Feb. 8, 2022, an…

15 Feb

NTSB: Combustibles near hot work led to New Orleans steamboat fire

Rich MillerCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB

(WASHINGTON) — Combustible materials left unprotected near hot work led to a fire on a passenger vessel in New Orleans, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. The fire resulted in $1.5 million in damage to the vessel. The passenger vessel Natchez was moored and out of service when a fire broke out on May 3, 2022. Natchez operated…

02 Feb

Coast Guard, NTSB investigating U.S. casualties in Antarctic waters

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Coast Guard Activities Europe, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and international flag administrations are investigating marine casualties involving the death or injury of U.S. citizens on foreign-flagged passenger vessels in Antarctic waters between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1, 2022. Among the investigations: • Two U.S. citizens died when an inflatable boat from the Portuguese-flagged passenger vessel…

28 Dec

NTSB welcomes duck boat safety rules in defense bill

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy welcomed maritime safety improvements in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023, which President Biden signed into law on Dec. 23. The legislation advances NTSB recommendations for amphibious vessels known as DUKW boats and requires the U.S. Coast Guard to provide an initial response to…

19 Oct

NTSB finds SEACOR Power crew did not face pressure to sail

Casey ConleyCasualty News, Maritime Newscasualty, Coast Guard, NTSB, SEACOR Power

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found that crew aboard the liftboat SEACOR Power did not face pressure from the home office to get underway. Thirteen people died when the 233-foot SEACOR Power capsized on April 13, 2021 at about 1537 with 19 people on board during a severe storm that brought heavy rain and winds exceeding 80 mph.…

10 Oct

Heater aboard bulker in layup cited in $100 million fire

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued three safety recommendations following an investigation into the Feb. 1, 2021, engine room fire aboard the bulk carrier Roger Blough. Roger Blough was docked in winter layup at the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding facility in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., when a fire started in the engine room. The cargo-unloading conveyor belts then…

03 Oct

NTSB plans public meeting on cause of SEACOR Power capsizing

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — On Oct. 18, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold a virtual public board meeting to determine the probable cause for the 2021 capsizing of the liftboat SEACOR Power. The board will discuss these four safety issues: • Gaps in forecasting and communications of weather events. • Operation and stability of restricted-service liftboats…

07 Sep

NTSB: More progress needed three years after Conception fire

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB, Passenger vessels

(WASHINGTON) — Three years after the fire aboard the Conception dive boat, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says more progress is needed on the safety recommendations it issued as a result of the investigation. Conception was anchored in Platts Harbor, off Santa Cruz Island, Calif., when it caught fire in the early morning of Sept. 2, 2019. The vessel…