NTSB

NTSB blames poor maintenance, inspection failures in fatal barge explosion

An explosion and fire off Port Aransas, Texas, Oct. 20, 2017, killed two crewmen left a massive hole in the forward deck of the barge B. No. 255. Coast Guard photo

A 2017 barge explosion that killed two crewmen near Port Aransas, Texas, was caused by inadequate maintenance and safety management by operator Bouchard Transportation, compounded by ineffective inspections and surveys by the Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping, the National Transportation Safety Board reported Thursday.

Tankermen Zachariah Jackson, 28, of Salt Lake City, and D’jour Vanterpool, 26, of Houston died Oct. 20, 2017 as they prepared to raise anchor on the ATB barge Bouchard...

https://www.workboat.com/news/coastal-inland-waterways/ntsb-blames-poor-maintenance-inspection-failures-in-fatal-barge-explosion/

NTSB faults inattention, fatigue in 2018 Houston allision

The bulk carrier Yochow struck a moored ATB in the Houston Ship Channel in June 2018. Shipspotting.com photo

The helmsman on a bulk carrier was fatigued and the mate not paying attention to his mistakes when the ship hit a moored barge at a Houston terminal in June 2018, inflicting more than $21 million in damage, the National Transportation Safety Board says in a new report.

There were no injuries or pollution from the accident, which happened in the early morning hours of June 13, 2018 as the 590’x98’, 34,000 dwt Hong-Kong flagged Yochow was inbound in the Houston Ship Channel.

The articulated tug and...

https://www.workboat.com/news/coastal-inland-waterways/ntsb-faults-inattention-fatigue-in-2018-houston-allision/

Electrical ignition causes fire on fishing vessel

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an investigation report on an engine room fire onboard the fishing vessel ‘Cape Cod’, while moored in Pago Pago Harbor on Tutuila Island, American Samoa, in May 2018.

The incident

On 20 May 2018, at 1536 local time, fishing vessel Cape Cod experienced an engine room fire while moored in Pago Pago Harbor on Tutuila Island, American Samoa.

The vessel was in port to offload a cargo of fish at the Samoa Tuna Packing dock with 20 crew members...

https://safety4sea.com/electrical-ignition-causes-fire-on-fishing-vessel/

USCG implements NTSB training recommendations after El Faro sinking

The USCG Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing published Change 1 to Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 03-14, ‘Guidelines for Approval of Training Courses and Programs’, in response to the recommendations made after the sinking of El Faro.

On 1st October 2015, the SS El Faro, a 40-year-old cargo ship owned by TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and operated by TOTE Services, Inc. was on a regular route from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It foundered and sank during Hurricane...

https://safety4sea.com/uscg-implements-ntsb-training-recommendations-after-el-faro-sinking/

Mechanical failure causes fire on fishing vessel

NTSB published its report on the fire on board the commercial fishing vessel Ole Betts Sea, on March 18, 2018, in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The fire lasted for 16 hours, and the vessel eventually sank about 18 miles northeast of the island of Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, Florida. No pollution or injuries were reported. The ship was a total loss valued at $200,000.

The incident

Before getting under way on March 13 for the accident voyage, the captain performed a pre-departure check of the vessel...

https://safety4sea.com/mechanical-failure-causes-fire-on-fishing-vessel/

Legislation introduced to improve duck boat safety

A duck boat enters Table Rock Lake near the Branson Belle. Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau photo.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced legislation last week to improve the safety of duck boats, following the tragedy on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo., last summer that claimed 17 lives.

Sen. Hawley’s legislation would authorize previously-outlined National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations, including provisions to require the use of life jackets and equipping all operating duck boats to be more buoyant in the case of emergency flooding.

“Missouri still mourns the lives...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/legislation-introduced-to-improve-duck-boat-safety/

Inadequate maintenance leads towing vessel to sink

The NTSB issued an investigation report on the flooding and sinking of the towing vessel ‘Nancy C’ on Lower Mississippi River, near Dyersville, Tennessee, in March 2018. The investigation identified poor maintenance as key cause of the incident.

The incident

On 6 March 2018, about 1630 local time, the uninspected towing vessel Ms Nancy C was moving and positioning cargo barges while operating in Everett Lake, a tributary of the Mississippi River, when a deckhand discovered water in a void at the...

https://safety4sea.com/inadequate-maintenance-leads-towing-vessel-to-sink/

Inadequate maintenance blamed in Tennessee towboat sinking

The sunken towing vessel Ms Nancy Cl was building a tow at a fleeting area when it began taking on water at mile marker 832 of Everett Lake near Dyersburg, Tennessee. Coast Guard photo/PO3 Lora Ratliff.

Inadequate maintenance that resulted in corrosion and a loss of watertight integrity was behind a March 2018 towboat sinking on Everett Lake, Tenn., the National Transportation Safety Board reported.

The 64.5’x23’x6’, 1,600-hp Ms Nancy C, operated by the Choctaw Transportation Co., Dyersville, Tenn., was moving dry barges on the lake, a tributary of the Mississippi River at mile marker 832, on March 6 at about 4:30 p.m. when a deckhand noticed water filling a stern void.

The deckhand and captain...

https://www.workboat.com/news/coastal-inland-waterways/inadequate-maintenance-blamed-in-tennessee-towboat-sinking/

Loose connecting rod assembly leads to diesel generator failure

​The US National Transportation Safety Board released its report on the diesel generator failure on board the offshore supply vessel ‘Red Dawn’, on December 13, 2017. Namely, as the ship was on its way to resupply the radar station Sea-Based X-Band Radar, its number 2 main diesel engine suffered a mechanical failure. This led to the ejection of components from the cylinder block, which destroyed the engine.

The incident

On the afternoon of December 13, the main diesel generators (MDG) 1 and 4 of...

https://safety4sea.com/21179808-2/

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