Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/284910
On July 23, 2008 at 1:30 a.m., the towing vessel Mel Oliver placed its tank barge, DM932, right into the path of the down-bound oil/chemical tank ship Tintomara, when it made an unannounced crossing from the east to the west bank of the lower Mississippi River near mile marker 99. The tank ship's crew made their best attempts to radio the master of the towing vessel to avoid a collision. Unfortu- nately, the crew was unsuc- cessful, and the tank ship struck the barge about 70-feet forward of the towing vessel — causing the barge to split nearly in half and dump thousands of gallons of oil into the Mississippi River. Consequently, the oil spill aff ected more than 100 miles of the river — causing the river to close for a week to commercial vessel traffi c and ult mately aff ect ng three major ports, four navigat onal locks, about 200 regulated waterfront facilit es, and more than 1,000 vessels. In the af ermath, invest gators found that the towing vessel had a four-man crew assigned to the vessel, but only three were aboard at the t me of the collision — the apprent ce mate and two deckhands. Find out how the missing captain contributed to one of the largest environmental disasters on the lower Mis- sissippi River. Collision on the Mississippi Improperly licensed master steers towing vessel into tank ship's path. by Ms. sArAh K. weBster Managing Editor Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council In this ongoing feature, we take a close look at recent marine casualties. We outline the U.S. Coast Guard marine casualty investigations that followed, which explore how these incidents occurred, including any environmental, vessel design, or human-error factors that contributed to each event. It is important to note that article information, statistics, conclusions, and quotes come from the fi nal, promulgated Coast Guard investigation report. Lessons Learned from USCG Casualty Investigations A 41-foot smallboat from Coast Guard Station New Orleans patrols a safety zone around the partially sunken barge. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Off cer Thomas M. Blue. 58 Proceedings Spring 2014 www.uscg.mil/proceedings Spring2014_FINAL.indd 58 3/21/14 11:14 AM