The offshore supply vessel was outbound for sea transiting Sabine Pass with a crew of five, when it collided with the inbound articulated tug and barge (ATB), with a pilot and nine crew aboard, in the vicinity of Texas Point. About 6,641 gallons of diesel oil were released, and the waterway was closed for 12 hours. No injuries were reported. The vessel, valued at $1.2 million, was declared a total loss. The ATB sustained $654,572 in damages.
Incident
Ship left the Genesis Energy dock and en route to West Cameron Block, and checked in with the Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service (VTS). Immediately upon entering the channel, the mate attempted to use the autopilot feature for several minutes but was unsuccessful. The AB stated that twice he and the engineer had to remind the mate to steer back into the channel. The mate ceased using the autopilot, returning to manual steering, as the vessel approached two stationary jack-up mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) positioned near the Rowan Dock on the west bank.
After narrowly avoiding the jack-ups, automatic identification system (AIS) and VTS data crossed the channel at a near right angle, then followed the east side of the channel. The vessel continued down the west side of the channel until the mate passed near buoy 27. At this bend in the channel, the ship again crossed the channel to the east side, about 1 mile ahead of the inbound ATB. As the vessels approached each other, the AB reported sighting the ATB, which the mate acknowledged, stating, “That’s a ship.”
Ship started a turn to starboard. The AB and engineer noticed the mate start the turn and recommended he come left to avoid the ATB. The mate did not acknowledge them. The ATB pilot hailed the ship on channel 13, to which the mate answered. During the radio call, believing a collision was imminent on the Ship, the AB left the bridge, and the engineer ran from the port side of the bridge to starboard and braced himself.
Investigation
According to investigation, it was found
- The NTSB said the probable cause of the collision was the vessel turning into the path of the ATB.
- During the accident sequence, the on-watch AB and engineer expressed concern to the mate of the vessel regarding his erratic steering. The mate ignored them, yet neither the on-watch AB nor the engineer notified the captain.
- Attempting to use the autopilot in a channel, nearly colliding with stationary jack-ups, weaving across the channel, ignoring the warnings from the on-watch AB and engineer in the wheelhouse, and suddenly turning in front of the ATB all indicate a degree of misjudgment, said by NTSB.
- Contributing to the collision was a lack of early communication from both vessels.
Lesson learnt
- Bridge resource management includes the concept of teamwork, which is an essential defense against human error.
- A good team should anticipate dangerous situations and recognize the development of an error chain. If in doubt, team members should speak up or notify a higher authority.
- Vessel operators should train their crews on and enforce their safety policies.
- Early communication from both vessels is needed to avoid collision.
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Source: ntsb.gov
