NTSB – Page 3 – Professional Mariner

25 Oct

NTSB urges fire upgrades for small passenger vessels

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, NTSB, safety

(WASHINGTON) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended Tuesday that engine-room fire detection and fixed fire extinguishing systems be installed in small passenger vessels previously exempted from U.S. Coast Guard regulations in Subchapter K. The NTSB issued the recommendations after investigating an engine room fire aboard Spirit of Norfolk during a sightseeing cruise near Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on…

08 Sep

Failure to maintain crane barge results in $6 million loss

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A barge owner’s lack of inspection and maintenance led to the capsizing and sinking of a crane barge last year in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. The crane barge Ambition was being towed when it capsized and sank on June 15, 2022, releasing an estimated 1,980 gallons of oil. No injuries…

05 Sep

ATF report: Fatal Conception fire started in plastic trash can

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — The fire that killed 34 people aboard the dive boat Conception in 2019 near Santa Cruz Island in California started in a plastic trash can on the main deck, according to a new report by the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper said it reviewed a 197-page confidential report prepared by investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,…

01 Sep

NTSB pushes Coast Guard again on passenger vessel SMS

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

(WASHINGTON) — Four years after the fire aboard the Conception dive boat claimed 34 lives, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) renewed its call for the U.S. Coast Guard to require safety management systems (SMS) for passenger vessels. The recommendation, which the NTSB reissued following its investigation of the Sept. 2, 2019, fire aboard Conception, remains open. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer…

22 Aug

Safety alert: Improving small vessel detectability

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

21 Aug

False alarm, propulsion loss led to Sabine Pass collision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — A loss of propulsion due to a false alarm led to cargo vessels colliding near Port Arthur, Texas, last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. While transiting Sabine Pass on Aug. 21, 2022, the cargo ship Damgracht lost propulsion when the vessel’s main engine shut down due to “high oil mist density” sensed by its…

12 Aug

NTSB: Fatal cutter collision due to lack of proper lookout

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The fatal collision between the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Winslow Griesser and a small boat off the coast of Puerto Rico last year resulted from the failure of either vessel to maintain a proper lookout, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. Maintaining a proper lookout, by sight and sound, is a fundamental rule of the Convention…

31 Jul

NTSB cites excessive speed in collision between tug, boxship

Rich MillerCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Excessive speed during an advanced harbor-assist maneuver led to a tugboat colliding with a containership in the Houston Ship Channel last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. The tugboat George M and containership MSC Aquarius collided on April 14, 2022, while the tugboat was positioning for a ship-assist maneuver and the containership was transiting north…

21 Jun

NTSB: Oily rags led to fire that destroyed yacht in Washington

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON ) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is highlighting the fire hazards of improperly stored oily rags on vessels following an investigation into a fire aboard a yacht last year in Washington. On July 15, 2022, the recreational yacht Pegasus caught fire while moored at the Peninsula Yacht Basin in Gig Harbor, Wash. The fire burned for about…

14 Jun

Outdated chart cited as factor in Alaska pier strike

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — Overreliance on an electronic chart, miscommunication and an outdated navigational chart were all factors in a cruise ship damaging a cruise terminal pier last year near Sitka, Alaska, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. The cruise ship Radiance of the Seas was docking at the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal on May 9, 2022, when it struck…