Graphic from NTSB report.
A bridge team’s lack of effective monitoring of their position while at anchor led to a cargo ship hitting an anchored bulk carrier and striking a chemical dock on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) marine accident brief.On May 8, 2020, about 1655 local time, the anchored general cargo vessel Nomadic Milde collided with the anchored bulk carrier Atlantic Venus on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans, Louisiana, after the Nomadic Milde began to swing and drag its anchors in the current. After colliding with the Atlantic Venus, which had been anchored directly behind the cargo ship, the Nomadic Milde then struck a nearby chemical dock and grounded on the bank. No injuries were reported. The Nomadic Milde released an estimated 13 gallons of lube oil into the river. Damage to both vessels and the dock was estimated at $16.9 million.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the collision between the Nomadic Milde and Atlantic Venus was the bridge team on the Nomadic Milde not effectively monitoring the vessel’s position and therefore not detecting that the vessel was dragging anchor and had moved from its original position during high-water conditions in
proximity to other vessels.
