This incident is based on findings from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). It concerns the grounding of a bulk carrier while navigating outbound through the Vidal Shoals Channel near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, during darkness.
What Happened
On January 7, 2023, at approximately 07:34 local time, a bulk carrier grounded while transiting outbound in the Vidal Shoals Channel en route to Superior, Wisconsin. Three days earlier, the vessel had departed Ashtabula, Ohio, with 19 crew members and later moored at a dock in Sault Ste. Marie to discharge cargo. After unloading was completed at 06:52, the vessel departed at 0720 with forward and aft drafts of 15 feet 11 inches and 19 feet 10 inches, respectively.
While maneuvering into the channel in darkness, the master was navigating, steering, and performing lookout duties simultaneously. Seasonal channel buoys were unlit, and although electronic navigation software (Rose Point ECS) was in use, the vessel footprint overlay feature was not activated, reducing situational awareness.
Shortly after entering the channel, crew members reported a sound and vibration. Damage was later discovered in three ballast tanks, suggesting contact with the lakebed. AIS data confirmed the vessel was on the southeast edge of the channel at the time, adjacent to shoal water. The vessel proceeded to a shipyard in Superior, where drydocking revealed hull breaches along the port bilge chine, consistent with grounding.
Why It Happened
The grounding occurred because the master maneuvered the vessel into the channel without additional bridge support, requiring him to simultaneously manage navigation, steering, and lookout responsibilities. This multitasking under low-visibility conditions—combined with the absence of the ECS vessel overlay feature and an unfavorable departure angle—led to a misalignment with the channel and overshooting the required turn. As a result, the vessel grounded on shoals outside the buoyed channel.
The NTSB noted that on previous and subsequent departures from the same dock, the vessel often reversed astern before making a forward approach at a shallow angle to align properly with the channel centerline. On this voyage, insufficient maneuvering space was used, increasing the risk of misnavigation.
Actions Taken
The vessel was drydocked at a shipyard in Superior, Wisconsin, where damage to three ballast tanks was repaired. The NTSB reviewed past transit practices at the dock, highlighting safer maneuvering methods used in other port calls.
Lessons Learned
- Operating in confined or restricted waters requires adequate bridge team composition. A single crewmember cannot effectively perform navigation, steering, and lookout duties alone in such conditions.
- Owners, operators, and masters must ensure that bridge teams are staffed with qualified personnel who are familiar with bridge equipment and capable of taking immediate action when needed.
- To maintain situational awareness, bridge teams should use all available tools, including visual lookout, radar, electronic chart systems, and AIS.
- Features such as the vessel footprint overlay enhance spatial awareness and support safe navigation, particularly in low-visibility environments.
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Source: NTSB
