Towmasters: the Master of Towing Vessels Assoc. Forum

Below you’ll find every significant accident investigation report of interest to the towing sector that is available online, updated as new reports become available. These should be used as a valuable lessons-learned resource to avoid repeating the same old mistakes over and again. If you’re absolutely determined to become infamous, at least show some originality and make a new mistake that we all haven’t seen many times before!

U.S. Coast Guard Reports

• 5/5/11: Grounding of the tug Pathfinder on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska on December 23, 2009.
• 4/22/11: Explosion, fire, sinking and loss of eleven crew members aboard the MODU Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20-22, 2010.
• 4/10/11: Electrocution of a licensed third engineer aboard the S/R Wilmington offshore Galveston, TX on January 7, 2009.
• 1/19/11: Sinking of the un-inspected fish processing vessel Alaska Ranger in the Bering Sea with the loss of four lives and one person missing and presumed dead on March 23, 2008
• 4/26/10: Sinking of the F/V Katmai with multiple loss of life in the Amchitka Pass, North Pacific Ocean on October 22, 2008.
• 4/6/10: Explosion, fire and sinking of the tank barge EMC 423 with one loss of life on the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal on January 19, 2005.
• 8/19/09: Capsizing of the Lady D resulting in five losses of life and multiple serious injuries on March 6, 2004.
• 3/12/09: Allision of the M/V Cosco Busan with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on November 11, 2007.
• 8/15/08: Sinking of the T/V Valour with multiple loss of life 40 miles off the coast of North Carolina on January 18, 2005.
• Sinking of the T/V Elizabeth M and six barges with four fatalities at the Montgomery Locks and Dam on the Ohio River at Mile Marker 31.7 on January 9, 2005.
• Fire on the OSV Seabulk New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico on April 7, 2004.
• 4/28/05: Allision of the T/V Brown Water V with the Queen Isabella Causeway near Port Isabel, TX on September 15, 2001.
• 12/19/03: Sinking of the F/V Arctic Rose with multiple loss of life in the Bering Sea on April 2, 2001.
• 1/16/03: Collision between the tow of the T/V Elaine G and a recreational vessel at approximately mile marker 568 on the Ohio River on July 15, 2001 with multiple loss of life.
• The Barge Maria T dragging anchor while under tow by the T/V Scott Turecamo resulting in the severing of the 8-inch diameter Central Gas & Electric Natural Gas Pipeline in the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on August 8, 1999.
• 5/7/02: Allision of the Tanker Hyde Park with the T/V Herman Pott and tow , and the subsequent allision with the Domino Sugar facility and the M/V Miss Leslie, at mile marker 90 on the Mississippi River on February 26, 1999.
• 8/7/98: Fire and Grounding of the T/V Scandia and grounding of the tank barge North Cape off Pt. Judith, R.I. on January 19, 1996.
• 6/20/95: Collision of the T/V Frank Palladino and Great Lakes barge Kellstone I with a pleasure craft in the South Passage of Lake Erie on October 1, 1994.
• 11/14/94: Collision between the M/V Balsa, T/V Seafarer and the T/V Fred Bouchard on Tampa Bay on August 10, 1993.
• 2/26/82: Collision between the pleasure craft Karen E & the barge 5300 in tow of the Tug David McAllister with subsequent multiple loss of life in Long Island Sound on August 10, 1981.
• 2/27/74: Collision of the T/V Carolyn and the Weeks Barge #254 with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel on September 21, 1972.
• 6/24/70: Sinking of the T/V Marjorie McAllister in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Lookout, N.C. on November 2, 1969.
• 2/13/63: Collision between the S.S. Olympic Rock and the T/V Princess with the T/B W.L. Graham in tow on the Delaware River on February, 21, 1962.
• 9/25/61: Sinking of the T/V Phillip Arthur with barges Alamo 100, Alamo 400 and Alamo 600 in tow on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Port Arthur, TX on  December 31, 1960.
• 7/12/50: Sinking of the T/V Lorraine on the lower Chesapeake Bay off the Rappahannock River on April 9, 1950.
• 8/8/1904: Fire on board and sinking of the excursion vessel General Slocum resulting in over 1,000 fatalities on June 15th 1904.

U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Reports

• 12/3/10:  Collision Between U.S. Passenger Ferry M/V Block Island_and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay in Block Island Sound, Rhode Island on July 2, 2008.
• 9/30/09: Sinking of the U.S. Fish Processing Vessel Alaska Ranger in the Bering Sea on March 23, 2008.
• 2/18/09: Allision of the M/V Cosco Busan with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on November 11, 2007.
• 11/4/08: Grounding of the U.S. Passenger Vessel Empress of the North at the Intersection of Lynn Canal & Icy Strait in Southeast Alaska on May 14, 2007.
• 6/14/07: Fire Aboard Construction Barge Athena 106 in West Cote Blanche Bay, Louisiana on October 12, 2006.
• 7/25/06: Capsizing of the N.Y.S.-Certificated Passenger Vessel Ethan Allen on Lake George, NY on October 2, 2005.
• 3/7/06: Capsizing of the U.S. Small Passenger Vessel Lady D in the Northwest Harbor of Baltimore, MD on March 6, 2004.
• 3/8/05: Allision of the Staten Island Ferry Andrew J. Barberi with a pier in New York Harbor on October 15, 2003.
• 8/31/04: Allision of the T/V Robert Y. Love with the I-40 Bridge near Webbers Falls, Ok. on May 26, 2002.
• 8/21/01: Collision of U.S. Towboat Christine Cenac, U.S. Tank Barge CTCO 211, and U.S. Towboat American Heritage on the Lower Mississippi River near Donaldsonville, LA on January 28, 1998.
• 9/8/00: Allision of the T/V Anne Holly with the Eads Bridge and President Casino on the Admiral in St. Louis, Mo. on April 4, 1998.
• 7/14/98: Fire & Grounding of the T/V Scandia – T/B North Cape in Block Island Sound on January 19, 1996.
• 5/2/97: Grounding of the Panamanian Passenger Ship Royal Majesty on Rose & Crown Shoal near Nantucket, MA on June 10, 1995
• 5/4/78: Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975.

Transportation Safety Board of Canada Reports

• Girding & Capsizing of the Tug North Arm Venture while towing the barge North Arm Express at the entrance to Sechelt Rapids, British Columbia on 19 July 2009.
• Capsizing and Sinking of the F/V L’Acadien II while under tow off the coast of Cape Breton Island, NS on 29 March 2008.
• Capsizing of the barge OTM 3072 off Bas-Caraquet, NB on 29 October 2006.
• Collision between the F/V Sandra Carol and the T/V Ocean Warrior in Swanson Channel, BC on 03 June 2005.
• Striking of Crib Light #82 by the tug-barge unit Progress / Pitts Carillon in the St. Lawrence Seaway off Broder Island, OT on 21 April 2002.
• Striking of T/B PML 2051 by the Chemical Tanker Coral Trader at the Algoma Steel Wharf in Sault Ste. Marie, OT on 22 August 2001.
• Striking of the Pitt River Highway Bridge by the T/V Miller Richmond and barges Miller 201 & 206 in British Columbia on 18 December 2000.
• Grounding of the T/V Keta V near Liverpool, NS on 03 October 2000.
• Striking of a bridge by the T/V Sea Cap XII & the barge T.L. Sharpe in North Arm of the Fraser River, BC on 15 January 2000.
• Man overboard and death from the rail barge Juneau, accompanied by the tugs Seaspan Pacer and Escort Eagle in Seattle, Wa. on 28 December 1999.
• Collision between the P/C Sunboy and the T/V Jose Narvaez towing the barge Texada B.C. in Vancouver Harbour, BC on 07 August 1999.
• Striking of the CPR Mission RR Bridge by the T/V Sheena M & the chip barge Rivtow 901 on the Fraser River at Mission, BC on 02 June 1999.
• Grounding of the M/V Pacific Dolphin and the T/V Seaspan Falcon in Port Moody, BC on 15 February 1998.
• Grounding and sinking of the barge D.H.T. No. 3 while being towed by the T/V Fraser King in Kildidt Sound, BC on 22 October 1997.
• Fire in the engine room of the T/V Lawrence L in Agamemnon Channel, BC on 19 September 1997.
• Collision between the F/V Westisle and the barge IB No. 1 being pushed by the T/V Coastal Destinations in the Strait of Georgia, BC on 29 July 1997.
• Grounding and sinking of the T/V Gulf Coaster while towing a barge in Mackenzie Sound, BC on 31 March 1997.
• Capsizing of the barge Seaspan 177 with full loss of cargo while being towed by the T/V Seaspan Valiant in Puget Sound, WA on 29 January 1997.
• Partial loss of timber deck cargo from the barge Ocean Hauler while dockside in Carleton, QC on 07 November 1996.
• Capsizing of the barge B-525 with full loss of cargo while being pushed by the T/V Ospika in the North Arm of Quesnel Lake, BC on 05 November 1996.
• Collision between the T/V Brochu and the tanker Jade Star at Port Cartier, QC on 22 August 1996.
• Near-collision between the P/V Statendam and the tug-barge unit Belleisle Sound / Radium 622 in Discovery Passage, BC on 11 August 1996.
• Sinking of a construction barge while being pushed by the T/V WELDWOOD 19 near Honey Harbour in Georgian Bay, OT on 02 August 1996.
• Capsizing of the barge Seaspan 240 with full loss of cargo while being towed by the T/V Seaspan Monarch off Admiralty Head in Puget Sound, WA on 17 July 1996.
• Sinking of the small yarding tug WOLCO VI in Kwatna Inlet, BC on 18 February 1996.
• Collision between the F/V Roxana Glen and the tug-barge unit Arctic Taglu / Link 100 on the Fraser River, BC on 31 October 1995.
• Grounding and sinking of the T/V Sea Alert near Nain, Labrador on 01 November 1995.
• Capsizing of the barge Seaspan 195 while being loaded alongside the M/V Atlantic Superior in Plumper Sound, BC on 14 August 1995.
• Capsizing and subsequent sinking of the self-dumping log barge Sea-Link Rigger in Neroutsos Inlet, BC on 06 August 1995.
• Hull failure of the aggregate barge Sault Au Cochon while being loaded at the Daishowa Wharf in Forestville, QC on 21 June 1995.
• Collision between the F/V Eagle and the rail barge Aqua Train while being towed by the T/V Craig Foss in Chatham Sound, BC on 28 May 1995.
• Striking and damaging of floats, pilings, small craft and a dock by the T/V Sea Cap XII and its towed barge Seapan 619 in the North Arm of the Fraser River, BC on 11 May 1995.
• Foundering of the T/V J Manic in the St. Lawrence River off Cap du Cormoran, QC on 29 June 1994.
• Man overboard from the small tug Red Fir No. 15 on the North Arm of the Fraser river, BC on 08 March 1994.
• Collision between the tug-barge unit Arctic Taglu / Link 100 and the F/V Bona Vista in the Strait of Georgia, B.C. on 21 July 1993.

U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch Reports

• Report #4/10: Capsizing and sinking of the Tug Ijsselstroom in the port of Peterhead on June 14, 2009 & Annexes A-E of that report.
• Report #25/09: Catastrophic failure of a windlass motor on board M/V Stellar Voyager off Tees Bay resulting in major injury on March, 23, 2009 & Annexes A-D of that report.
• Report #7/09: Grounding of the M/V Antari in the Irish Sea near Larne, Northern Ireland on June 29, 2008.
• Report #21/08: Grounding of the M/V CFL Performer on Haisborough Sand – North Sea on May 12, 2008.
• Report #17/08: Loss of the Tug Flying Phantom while towing the M/V Red Jasmine on the River Clyde on December 19, 2007 & Annex F of that report.
• Report #12/08: Confined space deaths on board the M/V Viking Islay at the Amethyst gas field, 25 miles off the East Yorkshire coast, UK on September 23, 2007 & Annexes of that report.
• Report #7/08: Parting of a mooring line on board DublinViking alongside at berth #52 in the Port of Dublin, Ireland resulting in one fatality on August 7, 2007.
• Report #18/07: Grounding of the jack-up barge Octopus towed by the Tug Harald in Stronsay Firth, Orkney Islands on September 8, 2006.
• Report #16/06: Grounding of the Emergency Tug Anglian Sovereign near the island of Oxna, in the Shetland Islands on September 3, 2005.
• Report #21/05: Collision of the Tug Thorngarth with the M/V Stolt Aspiration on the River Mersey, Liverpool on April 13, 2005.
• Report #10/05: Collision between the M/V Scot Explorer and the F/V Dorthe Dalsoe in the Kattegat, Scandinavia on November 2, 2004.
• Report #1/10/193: Crushing of a bargehand between the Tug Willem-B and the barge R8 at Nab Tower Dumping Grounds on June 6, 1999.
• Report of Court #8074: Capsizing of the M/V Herald of Free Enterprise in the North Sea outside of the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium on March 6, 1987.
• Administrative Inquiry into the loss of the Tug Adherence in the Bay of Biscay on October 25, 1996.
• MAIB Safety Digest: Lessons from Marine Accident Reports – 3/09
• MAIB SafetyDigest: Lessons from Marine Accident Reports – 2/09
• MAIB Safety Digest: Lessons from Marine Accident Reports – 1/09
• MAIB Safety Digest: Lessons from Marine Accident Reports – 3/05
• MAIB 2008 Annual Report
• MAIB 2004 Annual Report

Australian Transport Safety Bureau Reports

• Grounding of the Chinese registered bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 on Douglas Shoal, Queensland on 3 April 2010 – issued April 2011
  
• Fatality at sea on board the Liberian registered multipurpose ship Cape Darnley on 8 July 2010 – issued February 2011.
• Fatality on board the M/V Thor Gitta at sea off Western Australia on 21 May 2009 – issued December 2009.
• Collision between the F/V Allena & the M/V Northern Fortune off Bowen, Queensland on 21 January 2008 – issued 2009.

German Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation Reports

• Report #149/08: Forward tug Wilhelmine broaching to in front of M/V Pavel Korchagin on 4 April 2008 in the Port of Hamburg – April 15, 2009.
• Report #607/07: Personal accident on the tug Bugsier 11 on 17 December 2007 in Brunsbüttel – December 1, 2008.
• Report ##09/06: Collision between M/V Tor Dania and the tug and tow EMS Tug on the River Elbe at 0012 CET on January 10th, 2006 – July 1, 2007.

Miscellaneous Reports

• Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster & the Future of Offshore Drilling / Report to the President -National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill & Offshore Drilling – January 2011.
• Grounding of the M/V Federal Kivalina at Årsundøya, Norway on 6 October 2008 – Accident Investigation Board of Norway, January 2010.
• M/V Cosco Busan Allision Incident Review Committee Report – San Francisco Board of Pilot Commissioners, October 23, 2008.
• Capsizing of the AHTS Bourbon Dolphin in the North Atlantic Ocean west of the Shetland Islands on April 12, 2007.
• Final Report on the Capsizing on 28 September 1994 in the Baltic Sea of the RoRo P/V Estonia – The Joint Accident Investigation Commission of Estonia, Finland & Sweden, December 1997.
• Spill: The Wreck of the Exxon Valdez – Implications for Safe Transportation of Oil, the Alaska Oil Spill Commission’s Final Report – February 1990.
• The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill – A Report to the President – Prepared by the National Response Team, May 1989.
• Report of the U.S. Commission of Investigation Upon the Disaster to the Steamer General Slocum – October 8, 1904.
• The Sultana Tragedy: America’s Greatest Maritime Disaster by Jerry O. Potter – 1992 (Google Books).