Article

NTSB Investigation: Towing vessel pilot never reported hitting bridge in Louisiana

published on 13 March 2023 - 151 -

Show comment section |

Miss Mollye D moored following the casualty. (Source: US Coast Guard)

What Happened
On December 23, 2021, at 0326 local time, the towing vessel Miss Mollye D was pushing six barges eastbound on Bayou Boeuf between Morgan City and Amelia, Louisiana, when the tow left the channel and struck the Route 182 bridge, which an parallel to the waterway.1 The operator then maneuvered the tow back into the channel, and the tow continued eastbound. Utility workers discovered damage to the bridge later that morning and notified the US Coast Guard. None of the five crewmembers aboard the Miss Mollye D were injured, and no pollution was reported. Damage to the bridge was estimated at $2 million.

What the NTSB Found
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the contact of the Miss Mollye D tow with the Route 182 bridge was a loss of control of the tow by the pilot at the helm of the towing vessel, likely due to impairment by factors such as fatigue or drug use.

Download full report as PDF here:

Download: MIR2304

Download

What's your opinion on this?

Article Marine Accident Brief - Collision of Dixie Vandal Tow with Moored Trinity and Tow

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 8 April 2020

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a Marine Accident Brief about an accident that occurred in March 2019, involving the towing vessel Dixie Vandal, noting that the BNWAS alarm didn't prevent the fatigued pilot from falling asleep.

Article Docking Pilot’s Actions Cited in Probable Cause of Allision

published on 26 November 2020

The National Transportation Safety Board issued Marine Accident Brief 20/37 Tuesday for its investigation of the Sept. 23, 2019, accident involving the tugboat G.M. McAllister and the NGL Energy Partners wharf on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, near Chesapeake, Virginia.

Article NTSB investigation: Higher speed contributes to contact of tow with bridge

published on 14 December 2020

NTSB issued an investigation report on the contact of tow William C with a Rock Island railroad bridge protection cell, on Des Plaines River, in January 2020. The investigation established that high speed prevented the pilot to correct the tow’s position after completing the transit through the previous bridge.

Article IMPA open letter - Crew exchange in times of corona

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 4 July 2020

The IMPA has published on 30th June 2020 a letter about crew exchange in times of corona. Read the letter here:

Video CBNC: Egypt's Suez Canal could take weeks to clear

published on 25 March 2021

The massive container ship that ran aground in the Suez Canal, halting traffic in one of the world's busiest waterways, is still stuck. The ship, called the Ever Given, became horizontally wedged in the waterway following heavy winds. Nearly 19,000 ships passed through the canal during 2020, for an average of 51.5 per day, according to the Suez Canal Authority.

Article ‘Smart Ports. Piers of the future' brings together six large ports

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 25 November 2019

For the first time, the ports of Antwerp, Barcelona, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Montreal and Rotterdam come together to showcase their most advanced digital transformation and sustainability projects at their dedicated ‘Smart Ports’ exhibit

Article 99.9%: Canadian Pacific marine pilots’ tanker safety success

by Context - Enery examined - published on 19 May 2022

Consistently 99.9 per cent safe operation of large vessels: Marine pilots on Canada’s West Coast have an exceptional safety record in the world’s largest pilot-mandatory zone for large vessels including oil tankers.