(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 Pelican Island Bridge in the Galveston Channel.
About 20,000 gallons of vacuum gas oil was released into the waterway. Damage to MMLP 321 and the Pelican Island Bridge, salvage operations, the value of the lost cargo, and the cost of the oil spill response was estimated at $8.4 million. No injuries were reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the incident was the towboat captain not being able to overcome the effect of the tidal current, which was stronger than predicted, as the strung-out tow exited the protection of a terminal breakwater and entered the channel.
“The recorded tidal current at the time of departure was about two times faster than the predicted current the captain had referenced for her pre-voyage navigation assessment. Based on the predicted current, the captain was comfortable keeping the barges strung out (instead of breasted) and not using an assist tug,” the NTSB said. “After positioning the tow to maneuver through the dolphins, the captain would need to turn the tow to starboard to enter the channel. However, due to the tow’s strung-out configuration, the captain had to clear a nearby piling to port of the tow before she could initiate this turn.”
“As the head of the tow began leaving the protection of the breakwaters, the current immediately began setting the head of the tow to the west. The set of the tow increased to the west as more of the tow exited the protection of the terminal basin, but the captain was still unable to earlier initiate the starboard turn until clear of the nearby piling. Once clear, the captain attempted, but was unable, to steer the tow to starboard due to the force of the current against the tow, resulting in the port quarter of the LCPL Phillip C George contacting the west breakwater dolphin,” the report said.
Click here to read the complete report.
– National Transportation Safety Board
